Don Trump Tilts at Windmills: Rescinds All Offshore Wind Energy Areas in the US; current leases up for review

Pommer · Aug 8, 2025

I remember (years ago) standing in line at a Lenten fish-fry, talking with a gentleman, who assured me that the amount of sun the Earth receives is nowhere near “enough” for us to harness/harvest via renewable. 2016 or so.

Always in His Presence · Aug 8, 2025

GoldenBoy89 said:
I’ll keep this post in mind next time the 18,000 lost fast food jobs in CA get brought up.

Yeah, raising the minimum wage really helped them, but what does have to do with Wind?

GoldenBoy89 · Aug 8, 2025

Always in His Presence said:
Yeah, raising the minimum wage really helped them,

It did. Now they are free to find a better paying job but my point is, you obviously don’t have any problem with cutting good jobs you think are unnecessary.

Always in His Presence said:
but what does have to do with Wind?

Well it would maybe help you if you replied to my other comment about the wind turbines.

GoldenBoy89 said:
There’s more than one.

They’re also cheaper to build, repair and maintain.

I’m also a proponent for nuclear power but I don’t understand the obsession on the right with pooh pooing wind power. We need a comprehensive system that draws from multiple different sources at different times to meet our needs.

iluvatar5150 · Aug 8, 2025

FAITH-IN-HIM said:
If the reasoning is that we should avoid a solution because "safety regulations are not properly followed," this would apply to many areas, such as cars on the road, medicine in pharmacies, food in grocery stores, or money in banks.

DaisyDay said:
I think the scale of the consequences is quite different.

Yeah, the scale. There aren't many things you could do in a grocery store that would contaminate the property to the extent that it would have to be encased in concrete and unusable for decades or centuries.

Always in His Presence · Aug 8, 2025

GoldenBoy89 said:
It did. Now they are free to find a better paying job but my point is, you obviously don’t have any problem with cutting good jobs you think are unnecessary.

I have never said anything that even vainly resembles that remark

Please don’t put words in my mouth. Your mind reading equipment is evidently quite faulty.

Can we return to the topic of the thread now?

Nithavela · Aug 8, 2025

Always in His Presence said:
That was a leak in a pipeline. Not earthquake, flood or war

Again a maintenance issue

I’ve driven from Berlin to Frankfurt. Seen the kilometers of wind farms.
Why does the country still have need of 72% of their electricity come from nuclear or coal fired sources?

Why did the wind electricity drop from 32% to 24% this year? Here is a hint - not enough wind.

Granted, it’s a novel approach to the problem. But a nuclear facility does so much better with so much less.

I will never respond to you bringing germany into conversations. Please stop.

Always in His Presence · Aug 8, 2025

Nithavela said:
I will never respond to you bringing germany into conversations. Please stop.

My apologies - our conversation was on wind energy - I am familiar with the large windfarms in your country and some of the issues they are having. My Question was not regarding the country, but the windmills - and who better to ask than someone who lives there.

There was nothing nefarious to the question, but I will certainly acquiesce to your demands.

FAITH-IN-HIM · Aug 9, 2025

Nithavela said:
I will never respond to you bringing germany into conversations. Please stop.

I haven't visited Germany as often as others, but I've been there many times over the past 30 years. In terms of diversified energy, Germany is a leader. Any country working to diversify its energy sources should consider Germany's policies and ingenuity.

While I hold a different perspective regarding your nuclear energy policy, if Germany demonstrates leadership and efficiency in alternative energy, then the absence of nuclear power becomes irrelevant.

GoldenBoy89 · Aug 9, 2025

Always in His Presence said:
Can we return to the topic of the thread now?

Sure! I’ve been waiting on you.

GoldenBoy89 said:
There’s more than one.

They’re also cheaper to build, repair and maintain.

I’m also a proponent for nuclear power but I don’t understand the obsession on the right with pooh pooing wind power. We need a comprehensive system that draws from multiple different sources at different times to meet our needs.

essentialsaltes · Aug 15, 2025

Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study

The administration blacked out 27 pages of findings in a document the Interior secretary cited when he ordered a work stoppage on the offshore wind project.

Transparency!

The Trump administration has repeatedly refused to release the NOAA study Burgum cited in April as justification for halting Empire Wind I, which had all of its permits. Construction later restarted after President Donald Trump said he made a deal to boost natural gas pipeline capacity in New York.

The Interior Department, in response to a formal request by POLITICO’s E&E News for the study under the federal Freedom of Information Act, sent a copy of the report that was almost entirely blacked out with redactions. In all, 27 full pages were redacted.

Daniel Bettinger, a co-founder of TurbineHub, a data company for renewable energy investors and developers, also sought the NOAA records and received the same blacked-out version.

He said in an interview that he wanted details of the report to help his clients gain insight into the workings of the government’s permitting offices.

“Ultimately, what we’re trying to do and what needs to be there is a transparency and ability to gauge predictability for these projects to be underwritten,” Bettinger said. “When we bring in these kind of non-transparent and unclear decisions and certain reports that are redacted, it just brings a lot of doubt into the total U.S. energy market.”

It should be pretty clear, you need to make a 'deal' with President Trump, and then you get your permit. What could be simpler?

Pommer · Aug 15, 2025

essentialsaltes said:
Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study
The administration blacked out 27 pages of findings in a document the Interior secretary cited when he ordered a work stoppage on the offshore wind project.

Transparency!

The Trump administration has repeatedly refused to release the NOAA study Burgum cited in April as justification for halting Empire Wind I, which had all of its permits. Construction later restarted after President Donald Trump said he made a deal to boost natural gas pipeline capacity in New York.

The Interior Department, in response to a formal request by POLITICO’s E&E News for the study under the federal Freedom of Information Act, sent a copy of the report that was almost entirely blacked out with redactions. In all, 27 full pages were redacted.

Daniel Bettinger, a co-founder of TurbineHub, a data company for renewable energy investors and developers, also sought the NOAA records and received the same blacked-out version.

He said in an interview that he wanted details of the report to help his clients gain insight into the workings of the government’s permitting offices.

“Ultimately, what we’re trying to do and what needs to be there is a transparency and ability to gauge predictability for these projects to be underwritten,” Bettinger said. “When we bring in these kind of non-transparent and unclear decisions and certain reports that are redacted, it just brings a lot of doubt into the total U.S. energy market.”

It should be pretty clear, you need to make a 'deal' with President Trump, and then you get your permit. What could be simpler?

Here’s that document you requested via FOIA, psych!

EDIT:
“If the permitting for the project had actually been rushed or had any issues with it, as the Trump administration has claimed, then why would the administration hide every single word from the 27 pages of findings in the report?” asked Matt Walker, who advocates for renewable power at the NRDC, an environmental group. “It makes one seriously question if there were truly any legal or factual issues with the project review that would have justified the stop work order.”

essentialsaltes · Aug 21, 2025

essentialsaltes said:
Interior Ends Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Subsidy-Dependent Wind and Solar Energy

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he knows Republicans could suffer political pain for the electricity prices that are rising before next year’s midterm elections. But he hopes voters will know to blame the Democrats instead.

Electricity prices at the end of July averaged 5.5 percent higher than a year earlier amid surging power demand.

Wright’s words also look ahead to one of the potential sleeper issues of the 2026 election, as the parties seek to own the message about how Trump’s effort to thwart the development of wind and solar power is affecting electricity customers’ wallets.

Some power industry leaders have also cautioned that aggressive efforts to restrict development of wind and solar energy could raise electricity prices at a time when demand is soaring.

His swing through Iowa last week highlighted the tensions: The state gets about 60 percent of its electricity from wind, a higher share than any other state.

At the Ames National Laboratory on Thursday, Wright was joined by Iowa Republicans who have urged Trump to take a less harsh approach to curtailing federal tax breaks for wind and solar power

Wright conceded that Iowa, which has some of the cheapest power prices in the country, has proved that a grid powered by wind energy can be successful in certain contexts.

The costs of wind and solar energy have plummeted in the past two decades, and last year they accounted for 93 percent of the new electricity added to the U.S. power grid, according to the American Clean Power Association, an industry trade group.

camille70 · Sunday at 3:30 AM

Trump administration cancels massive Nevada solar power project - UPI.com

The Trump administration has canceled the proposed Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada that would have been among the world's largest solar power facilities.

www.upi.com

Trump administration cancels massive Nevada solar power project

The canceled project would have built seven solar power-generation projects within the Esmeralda site that would have occupied 118,000 acres of land in Nevada's Esmeralda County and about 30 miles west of Tonopah and 270 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The project would have generated up to 6.2 gigawatts of energy over its service life, which is enough energy to power up to 2 million homes, according to Heatmap.

Lombardo said the project's completion would help Nevada to better support the nation's energy needs for mining projects and data centers, according to The New York Times.

Fantine · Sunday at 1:05 PM

This has nothing to do with clean energy. Trump hasn't found a way to monetize it yet!

Remember the Beverly Hillbillies? "Black gold, Texas tea!" Republicans like that black gold (oil) flowing into their campaigns like an endless lube.

Yeah, there are drawbacks (all those climactic disasters) but hey, they can fix that! Cancel FEMA, let the suffering fend for themselves, and keep that black gold flowing into their pockets.

Ugh.

Gene2memE · 2025-10-13T01:28:51-0500

Cost of wind energy has fallen in real terms by better than 50% in the past 20 years.

According to IRENA's 2025 analysis, onshore wind power has fallen from $0.12 per kilowatt hour in 2005 to $0.03 per kilowatt hour in 2025, while offshore wind has fallen from $0.16 to $0.08.

According to Lazard's 2025 analysis, US nuclear power costs about $242 per megawatt hour, after all costs are levellised. Meanwhile, offshore wind averages $135 per hour, and onshore wind averages $78.

Lazard's same analysis found that onshore wind costs have fallen 55% since 2009, while nuclear energy generation costs have risen 47%.

timewerx · 2025-10-13T04:15:23-0500

FAITH-IN-HIM said:
I haven't visited Germany as often as others, but I've been there many times over the past 30 years. In terms of diversified energy, Germany is a leader. Any country working to diversify its energy sources should consider Germany's policies and ingenuity.

Germany loves wind energy so they get to drive their big, luxurious trucks hauling giant wind turbine parts!

IMO, wind energy has saturation point. It causes huge drag on the air currents. Less windflow over the surface means less moisture generated through wind-assisted evaporative cooling and carried upwards. Less wind reaches some places. This can affect local climate in some ways especially if the wind farm is near large bodies of water (they usually are to exploit temperatures gradients in places close to large bodies of water).

Less wind means moisture/humidity is not carried up to create clouds and may cause higher surface temps over land and over water both by less cloud coverage and water vapor acting as greenhouse gas.

It may seem like a joke but CFD studies show significantly reduced wind downwind of wind farms. The same can be said about having tall buildings near large bodies of water.

Nithavela · 2025-10-13T11:15:33-0500

timewerx said:
Germany loves wind energy so they get to drive their big, luxurious trucks hauling giant wind turbine parts!

IMO, wind energy has saturation point. It causes huge drag on the air currents. Less windflow over the surface means less moisture generated through wind-assisted evaporative cooling and carried upwards. Less wind reaches some places. This can affect local climate in some ways especially if the wind farm is near large bodies of water (they usually are to exploit temperatures gradients in places close to large bodies of water).

Less wind means moisture/humidity is not carried up to create clouds and may cause higher surface temps over land and over water both by less cloud coverage and water vapor acting as greenhouse gas.

It may seem like a joke but CFD studies show significantly reduced wind downwind of wind farms. The same can be said about having tall buildings near large bodies of water.

Citation needed

Hans Blaster · 2025-10-13T11:48:44-0500

Nithavela said:
Citation needed

This sounds suspiciously like the claims made by a certain english "physicist" about wind farms.

Tuur · 2025-10-13T12:13:35-0500

essentialsaltes said:
The costs of wind and solar energy have plummeted in the past two decades, and last year they accounted for 93 percent of the new electricity added to the U.S. power grid, according to the American Clean Power Association, an industry trade group.

"Plummeted." Last I checked, there was a 20 -30 year payback on solar.

Disclosure: I've worked at an electric utility for 40+years. Consider my opinion that of a biased old fogey. That said:

The cost is still up there. There is maintenance. And the major flaw with wind and solar hasn't really been addressed: lack of storage. Some storage exists, but one requires the land and terrain to build two reservoirs and others are various battery schemes. The latest are essentially oversized car batteries. When we looked at putting some in to handle peaking demands, we found we couldn't put them where they were needed due to nearby dwellings and the problems in fighting fires in the things if bad things happen. Bad things don't always happen, of course, but you have to plan for them, and more than once, for one thing or another, it seemed that Murphey of Murphey's Laws had dropped by for a spell.

Bottom line is that for all the crowing about wind and solar, we can't store that electricity. That's a problem not just when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine, but in the form of inconsistent output. That's why, on the old windmill powered water pumps, there was a large holding tank on the tower. It wasn't just there to provide water pressure through gravity; it was there so that you could get a steady supply of water even with inconsistent wind. That's what wind and solar needs to make it a viable alternative, and we have nowhere that amount of storage available.

Probably wasting my words. This has been obvious from the get-go with wind and solar, and why off-grid installations have batteries to serve the same purpose as the water tank on a windmill tower. And yet most of what we hear is building windmills and solar panel fields, and very little on the one key component needed to make it all work.

Want wind and solar as a viable alternative? Make a way to store all the power they generate.

Fantine · 2025-10-13T13:13:28-0500

Tuur said:
"Plummeted." Last I checked, there was a 20 -30 year payback on solar.

Disclosure: I've worked at an electric utility for 40+years. Consider my opinion that of a biased old fogey. That said:

The cost is still up there. There is maintenance. And the major flaw with wind and solar hasn't really been addressed: lack of storage. Some storage exists, but one requires the land and terrain to build two reservoirs and others are various battery schemes. The latest are essentially oversized car batteries. When we looked at putting some in to handle peaking demands, we found we couldn't put them where they were needed due to nearby dwellings and the problems in fighting fires in the things if bad things happen. Bad things don't always happen, of course, but you have to plan for them, and more than once, for one thing or another, it seemed that Murphey of Murphey's Laws had dropped by for a spell.

Bottom line is that for all the crowing about wind and solar, we can't store that electricity. That's a problem not just when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine, but in the form of inconsistent output. That's why, on the old windmill powered water pumps, there was a large holding tank on the tower. It wasn't just there to provide water pressure through gravity; it was there so that you could get a steady supply of water even with inconsistent wind. That's what wind and solar needs to make it a viable alternative, and we have nowhere that amount of storage available.

Probably wasting my words. This has been obvious from the get-go with wind and solar, and why off-grid installations have batteries to serve the same purpose as the water tank on a windmill tower. And yet most of what we hear is building windmills and solar panel fields, and very little on the one key component needed to make it all work.

Want wind and solar as a viable alternative? Make a way to store all the power they generate.

Would it surprise you to learn that climatologists favor limited nuclear energy during the transition?

Don Trump Tilts at Windmills: Rescinds All Offshore Wind Energy Areas in the US; current leases up for review

CoPacEtiC SkEpTic

Jesus is the only Way

We're Still Here

Well-Known Member

Jesus is the only Way

you're in charge you can do it just get louis

Jesus is the only Way

Well-Known Member

We're Still Here

Fact-Based Lifeform

Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study​

CoPacEtiC SkEpTic

Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study​

Fact-Based Lifeform

Interior Ends Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Subsidy-Dependent Wind and Solar Energy​

Newbie

Dona Quixote

Newbie

the village i--o--t--

you're in charge you can do it just get louis

Beardo

Well-Known Member

Dona Quixote

Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study

Trump admin redacts entire Empire Wind study

Interior Ends Preferential Treatment for Unreliable, Subsidy-Dependent Wind and Solar Energy