Trump’s Energy Surrender Undermines American Solar and Wind Industries

Washington, D.C. — Following increasing uncertainty in the wind industry caused by Donald Trump’s attacks, major American solar companies are now struggling against Trump’s headwinds too. In addition to the 42,000 clean energy jobs already lost or put on the chopping block since he took office, Trump is now putting entire energy supply industries at risk. In a moment of dramatically increasing demand, this conflict will have grave impacts for American family budgets coping with higher energy costs. As a recent CEBA report noted, repealing the clean energy tax credits will increase the average household utility bill by more than $110 per year, while businesses would see at least a 10% increase, to be passed on to consumers.

Climate Power Deputy Executive Director Claire Moser issued the following statement:

“Donald Trump’s war on American clean energy has already undermined or destroyed 1,000 jobs per day, and now it is threatening the entire American solar and wind industries. Trump’s threats to repeal clean energy investments, along with his erratic tariffs against allies like Canada, are creating chaos and uncertainty for all of American business, but especially the wind and solar industries that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans. This is not ‘energy dominance,’ this is energy surrender, with China set to benefit from countless jobs and factories shipped abroad from Georgia, Arizona, Texas, and across the country. With energy demand set to skyrocket, Trump’s war on clean energy will only lead to higher energy prices for all Americans, which is exactly what his oil lobby donors want.”

“Sunnova’s 71% Stock Plunge Heralds US Solar’s State of ‘Chaos’,” Bloomberg, 3/3/25 

“Business for rooftop solar was already hurt by high interest rates and lower state incentives. Now, President Donald Trump’s moves against green energy means developers of large-scale projects are seeing new risks, including potential permitting obstacles, clouding the outlook for growth. Trump’s push to unravel former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is also making some investors nervous that key federal financial incentives will disappear. Attendees of last week’s Intersolar & Energy Storage North America conference in San Diego, one of the country’s biggest annual industry events, warned that the uncertainty gripping the industry is likely to last through much of this year, or at least until the Trump administration gives more clear signals on what’s next for policy. “In the meantime, it will be chaos, and intentionally so,” Tom Starrs, vice president of government and public affairs at EDP Renewables, North America, said during the keynote panel at the conference. “With uncertainty comes risk, and with risk, comes a holding back of new investments.””

“Trump Paralyzes the U.S. Wind Power Industry,” Wall Street Journal, 2/23/25

“President Trump has America’s wind-energy industry at a standstill. Developers are delaying some projects and writing down the value of investments. Plans are hanging in limbo. During his campaign, Trump directed fierce criticism to offshore wind projects, which he promised to “end on day one.” His first wave of executive orders included a pause for federal permits and leasing for wind projects on land and at sea. “We aren’t going to do the wind thing,” Trump told his supporters Jan. 20, twirling a finger in a circle to indicate the rotation of a turbine blade. “Big ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood.” Since the election, TotalEnergies has shelved a planned offshore wind energy development for four years. Oil giant Shell took a $1 billion impairment, more than half of which was for an offshore wind project. Orsted, a major offshore wind developer, recorded a $1.7 billion impairment on its U.S. offshore wind business and slashed its capital investment plans through 2030 by a quarter. While work continues at projects that had already started construction on land or offshore, confusion about what happens next has overtaken the industry.”