Energy writer Robert Bryce
does not like wind because it is not energy dense, requires massive amounts of
land, kills many birds, and possibly is killing whales in some places where
offshore wind is developing. He has long despised it. Donald Trump despises it
mainly because he doesn’t like the way it looks, but also because it is costly
compared to other energy sources and requires subsidization. Landowners don’t
like it because it affects their views, and for some, the low-frequency sound
is, apparently, intolerable. I think so-called wind turbine syndrome is at
least partially a nocebo effect of the mind, but there may be something to it.
Fisherman have complained that the new offshore wind industry is limiting their
ability to catch fish. These are all valid concerns.
Trump has wasted no time
acting on his disdain for wind power, canceling and delaying projects and
federal offshore wind leases. The administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) is rescinding all designated wind energy areas in federal
waters, which amount to more than 3.5 million acres. This erodes the Biden
administration's plans to develop a U.S. offshore wind industry. Right now, the
industry in the U.S. is very reliant on foreign companies, one of Trump’s complaints,
but the idea was to develop over time a U.S. offshore wind industry with U.S.
ships, component manufacturing, and companies. The administration is also
considering withdrawing some U.S. federal lands from wind leasing. The U.S. has
been considered to be well behind other countries in developing an offshore
wind industry. The nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, a
12-turbine wind farm called South Fork, opened last year east of Montauk Point,
New York.
Just days after Trump visited
Scotland and complained about the wind turbines, a new massive project to
construct 307 turbines was approved in Scottish waters. These turbines will be
656ft above low tide and have turbine blades up to 1,165 ft long. UK Energy
Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the decision but the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds (RSPB) slammed it, warning that the project is near the
world’s largest gannet colony, and to the Isle of May, a national nature
reserve that is home to a large colony of puffins, plus terns, gulls and many
migratory species.
“The Scottish Government’s own assessment estimated that
the project will kill 261 gannets, 815 kittiwakes, 2808 guillemots, 66 puffins
and 154 razorbills per year throughout the 35-year lifetime of the development.”
The UK wants 43GW and 50GW of
offshore wind by 2030, with only 16GW operational so far.
Meanwhile, an EU court
blocked environmentalist opposition to wind development onshore in Spain’s
Galicia region. The environmentalists claim that the turbines hurt the
environment and do not respect the public's rights to participate in the
process through consultation. That is an argument that wind opposers have
echoed elsewhere. The EU court ruling sets the stage for similar denials of
environmentalist and public opposition arguments. Wind companies praised the
decisions as a boon to regulatory and legal certainty.
The Pros and Cons of Wind Energy
Forbes recently wrote about
the pros and cons of wind energy. Trump recently complained the wind farms
cause whale deaths, reduce property values, and are too expensive to be a
viable source of energy. The analysis says that many of these claims about bird
and whale deaths, health risks, and economic feasibility are exaggerated. They
note that cats and buildings kill far more birds. They note that there is no
evidence that wind projects are affecting property values. They also note that
there is no convincing evidence that wind turbines cause health concerns due to
vibration or noise. Whether wind power is economic is a matter of debate. In
the U.S. offshore, it is not currently economically competitive due to the lack
of a domestic industry and subsequent reliance on foreign companies, ships to
deliver components, and equipment. Inflation and the surge in the cost of
borrowing from 2021-2024 led to the dropping of some projects and
renegotiations of others. Below, they list the pros and cons of wind energy:
“Advantages: - Zero emissions:
Wind power produces no greenhouse gases during operation. - Job
creation: The wind sector employs over 100,000 people in the U.S. - Energy
diversification: Wind reduces reliance on imported fuels. - Land
sharing: Farmland used for wind turbines can still support crops or
grazing. Challenges: - Intermittency: Wind is variable
but can be managed with forecasting and storage. - Wildlife impact:
Bird and bat collisions are a concern but are being mitigated. - Visual/noise
concerns: Some residents oppose wind farms for aesthetic or acoustic
reasons. - Lifecycle management: Decommissioning and recycling
require long-term solutions.”
Bryce, long vocal about being
politically independent, has said he disagrees with Trump on several issues,
but on wind, they both agree it is a “con job.” Bryce writes:
“Big Wind has always been a blight on landscapes, deadly
for birds and bats, a grift on the grid, and a loser for taxpayers.”
He has developed a database
that tracks opposition to solar and wind projects. His favored solution to
climate change concerns is mainly natural gas to nuclear (N2N). He thinks that
wind and solar do not need to be accelerated. He thinks that mineral
availability and pricing will keep EV and renewables costs high, but he may be
wrong about that.
In any case, wind is set for
a decline in the U.S. as subsidies go away. There are projects going forward,
including re-powering projects that replace old wind turbines with newer and
more efficient turbines. These can be economical without subsidization since
many things are in place for the transition. It remains to be seen how the
administration's moves will affect deployment. In the past, when subsidization
was dropped, there were strong declines in deployments, but now that these
projects are more economical in many cases, that may happen at a smaller scale.
States may add more subsidies and incentives.
References:
SNP
approves giant wind farm despite backlash from Trump and RSPB. Jonathan Leake
and Simon Johnson. The Telegraph. July 31, 2025. SNP
approves giant wind farm despite backlash from Trump and RSPB
Trump
administration cancels plans to develop new offshore wind projects. Jennifer
McDermott. Associated Press. July 31, 2025. Trump
administration cancels plans to develop new offshore wind projects
The
Wind Energy “Con Job” Was Faltering Long Before Trump Slammed It In Scotland.
Robert Bryce. Substack. July 29, 2025. The
Wind Energy “Con Job” Was Faltering Long Before Trump Slammed It In Scotland
Trump
Yanks Millions of Acres of Ocean Designated for Wind. Ari Natter. Bloomberg.
July 31, 2025. Trump
Yanks Millions of Acres of Ocean Designated for Wind
A
Forbes Analysis: President Trump’s Claims on Wind Farms—What’s Accurate and
What Isn’t. Stefan Brand. Forbes. Climate Compass. August 1, 2025.
A
Forbes Analysis: President Trump’s Claims on Wind Farms—What’s Accurate and
What Isn’t
EU
court rules against environmentalists trying to block Spanish wind farms. Pietro
Lombardi. Reuters. August 1, 2025. EU
court rules against environmentalists trying to block Spanish wind farms
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