Posted on 10/31/2024 1:51:22 PM PDT by lasereye
U.S. offshore wind developers put on a brave face at a conference this week, touting their ability to work with leaders from both political parties, although privately attendees fretted that things could get rough for them if Republican Donald Trump wins the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The Republican nominee and former president has vowed to scrap offshore wind projects through an executive order on his first day in office if he retakes the White House, claiming windmills ruin the environment and kill birds and whales.
Trump is in a tight race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who has championed ambitious offshore wind targets as part of President Joe Biden's administration.
The tight election race has made a challenging year worse for the industry, already roiled by canceled projects, shelved lease sales and a construction accident at the country's first major offshore wind project.
"We have this conference in October every year and obviously a week before a federal election, that adds a certain amount of energy and uncertainty," American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said on the sidelines of ACP's Offshore Windpower conference in Atlantic City.
"The fact that this election is so polarized across the country I think increases the sense of uncertainty, not just around the economic questions about the deployment of offshore wind, but people are generally quite passionate about the direction of the country. So I think we felt just a bit of anxiety that was much broader than anybody's commercial commitments."
Speaking on background, at least a dozen industry participants at the conference spoke of an uncertain future for the industry under a Trump administration. Two executives in offshore wind development expressed fears of a long, slow spiral for the industry if Trump wins and halts federal permitting for projects.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
Save the whales! Vote for Trump!
What??? I keep reading wind is economically competitive with coal, gas and nuclear. So why are they fretting? Just keep building those competitive plants, wind guys.
I hear the bankers are lining up to finance your projects and your customers are just dying to sign long-term power agreements.
Basically they are afraid big government hand out / subsidies will dry up. No more gov milk for them.
Hope they all go bankrupt, wind is a massive scam on the public, only good for small back up power and novelty lifestyles, useless as bulk power and they know it!
Butt, butt, butt 30 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico......
Okay, okay - I’m lying. They are NOT economically competitive at all. Ever.
Why would you need a permit for a project that won't be built because without taxpayer money there's no chance of a profit.
Killing sea life is their job, that and raising electric rates
“They are NOT economically competitive at all. Ever.”
That was my (perhaps not so obvious?) point. Ever.
Our gorgeous country is getting covered with millions of these infernal machines. Each 2 MW machine requires two-tenths of a square mile! You can squeeze five of them into a square mile. That’s only 10 MW of power per square mile and only when the wind blows. To make 1,000 MW you need 100 square miles or 10 miles by 10 miles. A 1,000 MW coal or nuclear unit requires a tiny fraction of that. But the coal or nuclear units run at 75% to 85% capacity factor whereas the wind turbines only operate at 28% capacity factor AT THE VERY BEST SITES.
We regularly drive through the wind farms in Washington, Oregon and California. Most of the time they are sitting there making NO POWER.
Then, when the blades splinter, they spray glass shards all over the farmland ruining it. Nobody knows how to clean up glass shards and splinters from farm soil.
Don’t get me started...oops, too late. Rant off.
Hideously ugly. The beautiful Columbia River Gorge - ruined. The Altamont Pass in California - ruined. The San Gregoria Pass in California - ruined. The Palouse in Washington State - partially ruined but getting more ruined by the day.
And they are just getting started.
Killing the Wales. The left will blame nuclear sub sonars.
That may be coming to an end. Amazon wants to build 4 nuke plants on the Washington side of the Columbia River.
Not pretty is right, they look downright stupid, most sitting there not moving.
These taxpayer-money-guzzling, whale-murderers should be concerned.
Ban offshore wind farms!
Leeches. I got some wind for ‘em right here.
The whales should get to vote on offshore wind power.
:-)
If there were no subsidies, there would be no turbines. We pay $billions for this crap that doesn’t work.
Bingo. That’s why those wind turbine company execs are complaining. Their gravy train will end soon (I hope).
Useless infernal machines. Every time I drive by an idle wind farm and see those machines not turning I think “What IDIOT would invest in something that delivers useful product only 28% of the time?”
Answer — only idiots getting corporate welfare from the GD government.
The unironically call it “clean power”
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