Dozens of wind projects in Texas are in limbo after the U.S. Department of Defense paused issuing routine federal permits citing national security concerns, a move that experts say expands the Trump administration's crusade against wind energy. According to data collected by the American Clean Power Association, 54 Texas wind projects are waiting for the department to review development plans to ensure that turbines don't interfere with military operations. It's part of a broader nationwide logjam that has ensnared 165 onshore wind projects, a figure first reported by the Financial Times.
In the rolling hills of southeast Queensland, Australia, farmer and businessman Brent Finlay stands beneath turbines so tall they rival skyscrapers. "There's a lift inside that takes about 12 minutes to go from the bottom to the top," he said, pointing skyward. Forty-five of the giant turbines that now dot his property are part of the massive MacIntyre Wind Farm which will soon generate enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.
The stillness of a bitterly cold afternoon is broken by the swish, swoosh of three 50m-long blades, adjusting automatically to the tiniest shift in the direction of a dependable westerly wind that keeps them turning day and night. From here, up on a mountain ridge in rural Fukushima prefecture in north-east Japan, the wind turbines stretch for miles. In the distance, you can see the outlines of the reactor buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is in the slow process of being decommissioned at a cost so far of $35bn (26bn) almost 15 years since it suffered a triple meltdown after being struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and a 15m (49ft) tsunami.
A federal judge on Monday struck down Donald Trump's executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of windfarms on federal lands and waters was arbitrary and capricious and violated US law. Judge Patti Saris of the US district court for the district of Massachusetts vacated Trump's 20 January executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.
The president said such leases "may lead to grave harm" including negative effects on national security, transportation and commercial interests, among other justifications. U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris, for the District of Massachusetts, ruled that the ban is "arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law," and said the concern about "grave harm" was insufficient to justify the immense scope of a moratorium on all wind energy.
The settlement creates a Community Claims Fund to compensate local businesses and residents for 'economic harm.' The Town and County of Nantucket announced the settlement agreement, funds from which will go towards compensating the town and local businesses for losses from the incident.
Enel launched the 'WinDesign' contest, inviting engineering, architecture, and design professionals to create wind turbine designs that harmonize with landscapes and support energy transition.
