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Nearly the complete US wind trade went into hibernation after US President Donald Trump took workplace in January, sending 1000’s of fine paying jobs down the drain. Nonetheless, the wind will proceed to blow lengthy after January 20, 2029, when the present occupant of the White Home is scheduled to depart workplace — peacefully this time, one hopes. Figuring out that, some trade stakeholders proceed to carry the torch for wind energy till the ship of US vitality coverage sails out of the doldrums.
A Signal Of Life For The US Onshore Wind Trade
One notably fascinating information merchandise surfaced on July 17, when the main Danish wind turbine producer Vestas introduced a brand new 527-megawatt order for its Vestas-American Wind Know-how department, as a part of its Q3 consumption. The corporate disclosed no additional particulars besides to notice that the order was for its V150 4.5-megawatt generators. The procurement bundle included a 5-year service settlement adopted by a 5-year operational help interval.
Vestas issued a good briefer Q3 replace on August 11, when it said that “Vestas is proud to have acquired orders for 950 MW within the USA for undisclosed tasks.” That’s all they needed to say on the subject. Not a peep on the turbine specs or post-installation agreements. Vestas didn’t even specify if the brand new orders onshore or offshore wind farms, although the information group 4C Offshore ascribes the brand new generators to Vestas’s onshore wind enterprise.
“Vestas didn’t disclose venture specifics, however the orders come because the US onshore wind sector reveals indicators of restoration after a sluggish first half of 2025,” 4C famous.
Wind Repowering To Thwart Wind Foes
As for the place these “indicators of restoration” could also be seen, that’s a very good query. One reply is the onshore wind repowering enterprise. The US has been placing up utility-scale wind farms since builders found ripe circumstances in California’s Altamont go again within the Nineteen Eighties. Older wind farms, together with these of more moderen classic, are targets for upgrading with at this time’s technology of extra environment friendly generators. In some instances, a repowering venture can ship as a lot or extra capability with fewer generators.
The Trump administration has indicated its intent to throw the hammer down on any and all new onshore wind farms within the US. Nonetheless, current websites have already handed by means of the zoning and allowing. Efforts to increase their lifespan by means of repowering have a reasonably good probability of dodging anti-wind measures.
Keep watch over Vestas’s repowering enterprise for indicators that its Q3 wind turbine consumption won’t be left hanging. Final yr, for instance, Vestas supplied its 2-megawatt V110 wind generators to repower the North Allegheny wind farm in Pennsylvania.
Extra just lately, in March Vestas introduced a 172-megawatt order for its V117 4.2-megawatt generators, slated for the Mount Storm Part 2 repowering venture in Grant County, West Virginia. The generators might be working in 4.3-megawatt mode.
Mount Storm started turning out the clear kilowatts in 2008. The present developer, Clearway Vitality, notes that the $735 million repowering venture will considerably scale back the variety of generators on the website, from 132 right down to 78, whereas rising the capability of the wind farm from 264 megawatts to 335 megawatts.
US Offshore Wind Trade To Earth: I’m Not Lifeless But!
The US offshore wind trade is rather more weak to disruption as a result of it relies upon virtually fully on federal lease areas. The exceptions are minor, one instance being a pair of offshore websites in state-controlled waters in Louisiana.
With keen enablers on the Republican facet of the aisle in Congress, the White Home has been free to cut back the present federal lease program to a shell of its former self. That features clawing again current permits and double-guessing state approval processes in addition to forbidding new lease auctions.
Nonetheless, the offshore wind trade continues to tread water. Building of Equinor’s Empire Wind venture in New York was briefly halted, solely to be restarted following a sequence of non-public chats between Trump and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The White Home has additionally enabled the huge CVOW offshore wind farm in Virginia to proceed apace, thus avoiding an embarrassing state of affairs for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who has vociferously supported the venture.
The Return Of The US Wind Trade
In one other fascinating growth, the newly shaped 50-50 offshore wind three way partnership between bp and Jera might assist the proposed Beacon 1 and a couple of tasks in Massachusetts hold a lease in hand till the day comes — and it’ll come — when the federal lease program resumes.
The 925-megawatt Dawn Wind venture in New York additionally nonetheless has a pulse. The main Danish vitality agency Ørsted reportedly tried to divest itself of the venture, however was unable to take action. This week the corporate dropped phrase that it’s going to go forward and lift $9.33 billion to finish the venture by itself.
As for the onshore wind trade, one space to observe is the distributed wind market. As outlined by the US Division of Vitality, distributed wind refers to generators of any measurement which are used for onsite energy technology, or for distribution to an area grid.
In a mild reminder in regards to the potential for development within the distributed wind trade, on March 10, the Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory up to date an internet web page describing the outcomes of its 2022 market evaluation. “In keeping with the 2016 research, NREL finds U.S. distributed wind has ample financial potential, or the potential that may have a constructive return on funding,” NREL explains. “Whole areas of the nation might profitably present a whole bunch of gigawatts at this time if deployed. In 2035, terawatts of capability might be potential.”
That’s going to be an uphill climb, however as of this writing the lab continues to be transferring ahead with the most recent iteration of its ongoing distributed wind Competitiveness Enchancment Venture in help of home producers of small- and medium-sized wind generators, with 1 megawatt being the cutoff for a CIP award.
“The distributed wind vitality trade requires fast innovation to cut back prices and improve buyer confidence, however many firms that construct small- and medium-sized wind generators lack the sources to develop, certify, and commercialize next-generation expertise,” NREL notes. “CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and technical help to producers.”
CIP awards help turbine design optimization and superior manufacturing help, along with offering producers with expertise, testing, and certification help. “Price reductions, extra dependable applied sciences, and consumer-friendly enterprise fashions are making distributed vitality technology extra accessible to companies and shoppers excited about producing their very own electrical energy,” the lab observes.
Good luck with that! Traditionally, farms throughout the Nice Plains and elsewhere have proved fertile floor for the US wind trade, however occasions have modified.
Picture: The US wind trade is on life help in the intervening time, however some stakeholders have noticed alternatives to remain afloat till yet one more abrupt shift in US vitality coverage happens (courtesy of NREL).
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