Trump suspends all offshore wind farms under construction ending thousands of jobs and cheaper energy

[Anonymous]

In the latest blow to the US offshore wind industry, the Trump administration announced Monday it is suspending the federal leases for all large offshore wind projects currently under construction, citing unspecified national security risks.

It marks a major escalation in President Donald Trump’s attacks against offshore wind, a form of energy he has long railed against. The suspension could impact billions of dollars of investment and stall nearly six gigawatts of new electricity set to come online in the next few years.

The new sweeping order impacts five projects being built in the Atlantic Ocean, including a massive Virginia offshore wind farm that could eventually be the largest such project in the nation. Set to be completed by the end of 2026, it would supply electricity to Virginia, the state with the world’s largest cluster of power-hungry data centers — and skyrocketing energy costs partially tied to that growing demand. Other wind farms impacted are off the coast of New England.

…
Meanwhile, mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia have been seeing high electricity bills driven by their own electricity supply shortages. Just last week, the regional grid operator for those states announced prices hit a record high at a regional auction. Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has led a push toward vast offshore wind buildouts in an attempt to satisfy that state’s growing energy needs.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/climate/trump-offshore-wind-suspension-virginia

So solar, wind and grid batteries are the cheapest and quickest way to increase the electrical grid.

These are just construction and connections to the grid time for new plants not including permitting, nimby, etc.

1 GW of grid solar with batteries takes 1-1.5 years at $0.04 a kWh. Price is locked in for 20 years
1 GW off shore wind farm takes 2-4 years at $0.06 kWh. Onshore is cheaper and faster. Price is locked in for 20 years.
1 GW Natural gas turbines 2-4 years to build with a 7-9 year wait on gas turbines at $0.09 a kWh with current gas prices. Price depends of natural gas price and pipeline cost.
1 GW coal power plant construction time is 3-4 year @ 0.08-0.09 per kWh. Depending on coal price and transport cost.
1 GW nuclear plant 7-12 years @ $0.10-0.12 per kWh. It is hard to say the actual price because of government subsidies and involvement.

It is interesting that solar, wind and natural gas plants cost roughly the same. That is with a big tax and tariffs on solar panels. This increases the cost of solar panels by 2-3 times what it cost in other countries. Nuclear is 5-10 billion per plants.

So if there is a “crisis” in our electrical power generation now why are we killing projects that are the cheapest and fastest to bring online? 90% of new US electrical generation in 2024 was wind and solar. This year it was 93%. This year also saw grid batteries price drop by 45% making continuous power from solar less costly than any fossil fuel source. Wind and solar met the growth requirements of the US grid and could continue to meet it for the next 10 years with little problems.

The US generates 43% of its electricity from natural gas. The states with high natural gas generation also have the higher electricity bill. If the price of natural gas increases by $1 electricity bills will increase by 25-30%

Trump and his family are heavily invested in nuclear power. Are they also involved in natural gas? It is looking like this is an intentional act on the US grid to spike prices.

[Anonymous]

I drove through Texas last year. They have a lot of wind farms. I wonder how this will go over there if he wants to end it all?

[Anonymous]

Make Oil Great Again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drove through Texas last year. They have a lot of wind farms. I wonder how this will go over there if he wants to end it all?

It's only "offshore" wind farms. I.e., punishing coastal states.

[Anonymous]

This Trump move is incomprehensibly, inexcusably stupid. Completely incoherent from an energy policy standpoint.

[Anonymous]

Great electricity will be more expensive to generate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drove through Texas last year. They have a lot of wind farms. I wonder how this will go over there if he wants to end it all?

Texas is interesting. Leasing land to solar is between $600-$900 acre for 20 year lease. You can still runs cattle on the land and the cattle get higher market prices because of the shade and water used to clean the solar panels grows grass year round. Cotton farming is $250-$400 per acre. Wind is the same but it can be paid at 4% of generated power or leased about the same as solar.

This really makes a big difference to farmers.

Texas is also not building new gas plants even with a state subsidy of 7 billion.

[Anonymous]

Making things more expensive and dependent on other countries makes American great! MAGA!!!!1111

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great electricity will be more expensive to generate.

Only in your dreams. It is pure economic now. Solar and battery is now cheaper vs any other type of power generation and it is easily scalable. It also is attractive to countries with limited fossil fuels because it can make them energy independent.

The plunging cost of battery storage, and how it’s changed the grid – and saved the day for big solar
The plunging cost of battery storage is making its mark across the globe. It has had a huge impact in Australia, where grid scale battery storage is now regarded as the glue that will keep a renewables dominated grid together.
The federal government’s rebate for household batteries has proved so popular that the government is now considering changes because the allocated budget will likely be exhausted.
Across the world, according to BNEF, the cost of grid scale battery packs has fallen another 45 per cent in 2025 following a 40 per cent fall in 2024. The UK-based energy think tank Ember has now also reached the same conclusion, underlying its unexpected impact on solar power.
Cheap batteries do not just complement solar, they unlock its full potential,” says Kostantsa Rangelova, a global electricity analyst at Ember. “Solar is no longer just cheap daytime electricity, now it’s anytime dispatchable electricity.” And it’s competitive.
The changes have been so dramatic, and so rapid, that countries are still digesting its implications, and its possibilities. “The economics for batteries are unrecognisable, and the industry is only just getting to grips with this new paradigm,” Rangelova said.
…
This matters, Ember says, because it changes how solar can be used. The global average price of solar in 2024 was $US43/MWh. If half of daytime solar generation is shifted to the night, then the 65 $/MWh storage cost adds about 33 $/MWh to the total cost of solar, taking it to a total dispatchable electricity cost of $76/MWh.
“Solar is no longer just cheap daytime electricity, now it’s anytime dispatchable electricity. This is a game-changer for countries with fast-growing demand and strong solar resources,” Rangelova added

https://reneweconomy.com.au/the-plunging-cost-of-battery-storage-and-how-its-changed-the-grid-and-saved-the-day-for-big-solar/

All in the last two years. It is a technology revolution. Unfortunately the US will miss out on this. Get ready to spend a lot more of your take home paid on electricity.

[Anonymous]

Wonder how this will go over with Google?

Tech companies’ rabid demand for electricity has them going straight to the source. On Monday, Google parent Alphabet announced its plan to buy Intersect, a San Francisco startup behind large renewable energy facilities in California and Texas.

The signed deal will see the Mountain View tech giant pay $4.75 billion in cash, plus take on Intersect’s debt, to acquire the company. According to a news release, Google will get an in-construction solar and battery project by a new data center in Texas, plus Intersect’s employees and its future projects. Non-Google investors will take over Intersect’s other existing and in-development projects, which include a planned 3.1 million-solar panel facility in western Fresno County that was pitched as the world’s largest battery energy storage system
…
Google’s deal with Intersect, the news release said, is meant “to unlock abundant, reliable, affordable energy supply that enables the buildout of data center infrastructure without passing on costs to grid customers.”
The in-construction Texas facility that Google’s getting from the deal offers a glimpse at the companies’ vision: As Google builds the large data center for running AI and cloud computing, Intersect’s solar farm will provide power, plus energy stability with 1.3 gigawatt-hours of battery storage

https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/google-gobbles-startup-vast-project-21257549.php

[Anonymous]

Great. They negatively impact sea life such as whales. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine but with nuclear powered electric generation the world will always be aglow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great. They negatively impact sea life such as whales. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine but with nuclear powered electric generation the world will always be aglow.

Setting the Record Straight About Offshore Wind and Whales
Offshore wind is not linked to recent whale deaths, and misinformation about offshore wind is a distraction from addressing real threats to whales.

https://www.nrdc.org/bio/rebecca-loomis/setting-record-straight-about-offshore-wind-and-whales

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great. They negatively impact sea life such as whales. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine but with nuclear powered electric generation the world will always be aglow.

Fukushima, Chernobyl, TMI, etc. say what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great electricity will be more expensive to generate.

Only in your dreams. It is pure economic now. Solar and battery is now cheaper vs any other type of power generation and it is easily scalable. It also is attractive to countries with limited fossil fuels because it can make them energy independent.

The plunging cost of battery storage, and how it’s changed the grid – and saved the day for big solar
The plunging cost of battery storage is making its mark across the globe. It has had a huge impact in Australia, where grid scale battery storage is now regarded as the glue that will keep a renewables dominated grid together.
The federal government’s rebate for household batteries has proved so popular that the government is now considering changes because the allocated budget will likely be exhausted.
Across the world, according to BNEF, the cost of grid scale battery packs has fallen another 45 per cent in 2025 following a 40 per cent fall in 2024. The UK-based energy think tank Ember has now also reached the same conclusion, underlying its unexpected impact on solar power.
Cheap batteries do not just complement solar, they unlock its full potential,” says Kostantsa Rangelova, a global electricity analyst at Ember. “Solar is no longer just cheap daytime electricity, now it’s anytime dispatchable electricity.” And it’s competitive.
The changes have been so dramatic, and so rapid, that countries are still digesting its implications, and its possibilities. “The economics for batteries are unrecognisable, and the industry is only just getting to grips with this new paradigm,” Rangelova said.
…
This matters, Ember says, because it changes how solar can be used. The global average price of solar in 2024 was $US43/MWh. If half of daytime solar generation is shifted to the night, then the 65 $/MWh storage cost adds about 33 $/MWh to the total cost of solar, taking it to a total dispatchable electricity cost of $76/MWh.
“Solar is no longer just cheap daytime electricity, now it’s anytime dispatchable electricity. This is a game-changer for countries with fast-growing demand and strong solar resources,” Rangelova added

https://reneweconomy.com.au/the-plunging-cost-of-battery-storage-and-how-its-changed-the-grid-and-saved-the-day-for-big-solar/

All in the last two years. It is a technology revolution. Unfortunately the US will miss out on this. Get ready to spend a lot more of your take home paid on electricity.

I used Biden’s tax break on solar to buy our panels. Most of my bills are negative amounts. In the middle of summer running three air conditioning units 24/7 to cool my house, my bill runs close to $100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This Trump move is incomprehensibly, inexcusably stupid. Completely incoherent from an energy policy standpoint.

completely idiotic.