‘Godfathers of wind’ raise alarm amid Trump’s attacks on renewables

Two European pioneers of the modern wind energy industry have sounded the alarm about the Trump administration Clean energy cutsWashington warned Climate action agenda It is part of the broader energy transition challenge.

Danish Henrik Steisdahl and Briton Andrew Jarrad, often referred to as “Godfathers of the wind“For their contributions to the advancement of wind turbine design, manufacturing and deployment,” Trump said The war on the wind It appears to be a symptom of more widespread climate apathy.

Steisdal is known for establishing early design principles for wind turbines and led the installation of the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991, while Jarrad developed computer models to optimize and certify turbine and farm designs.

“I think Trump’s approach is an indication of a general shift,” Jarrad said in comments echoed by Steisdall. Oppose the transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies, such as wind and solar energy.

“We are now facing a change in mood. We had a very easy start, then a big struggle, then public acceptance, and now the worm is starting to turn. This is something we all have to address,” Garrad told CNBC.

Since his return to office at the beginning of this year, US President Donald Trump It has actively sought to disrupt the development of high-profile wind energy projects. His efforts included eliminating the offshore wind industry Stop work orders And removing green stimulus under former President Joe Biden Inflation reduction law.

“Trump is a symptom. I mean an extreme symptom of that, but I think you can see it in all Western countries for sure, and probably nowhere else. And that’s a big problem,” Jarad said.

“This is not just a wind energy problem,” Jarrad said. “It’s a very dangerous thing to make that kind of change. And I think that showed that this is a political act… It’s a personal decision made by a politician, who happens to be a fairly powerful person — and that sent shock waves throughout the place.”

Last week, Ørsted I mentioned A net loss of 1.7 billion Danish kroner ($261.8 million) in the July-September period. The result, which was slightly better than analysts had feared, was significantly lower than profits of DKK 5.17 billion in the same period last year.

The company’s shares listed in Copenhagen, which fell more than 80% from their peak in 2021, recorded a high level. New low record In August after the Trump administration ordered the company to stop work on a nearly completed wind farm.

Danish wind turbine company Vestas It also faces uncertainty in the industry, due in part to Trump administration policies. When asked about some of these challenges, Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen said the company has a “well-established” supply chain in the US.

“For us, we see the United States, both customers and construction in the United States, as part of our primary responsibility to help the United States,” Andersen told CNBC.Squawk Europe Fund“On November 5.

“And then maybe we have to sometimes take a little slap in the face that not everyone likes the nature of a wind turbine. But I think, in general, … it’s energy that drives the decision-making process and [the] He added that the cost of energy drives the decision-making process.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the deployment of offshore wind turbines, calling them “pathetic” and “expensive” in a recent speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

“I’m telling you, if you don’t get away with the green energy scam, your country is going to fail,” Trump said on September 23. The US President also said that climate change is “the biggest scam ever committed in the world.”

Scientists since then condemned Trump’s characterization of climate change, noting that the overwhelming consensus is that climate change is already happening, with record heat waves, flooding events and hurricanes Cause Significant economic damage worldwide.

Steisdall and Garrad were speaking to CNBC shortly beforehand foot With the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering 2024. The award was presented by King Charles III during a reception held at St James’s Palace in London earlier this month.