Alinta Energy has scaled back its proposed Whitsundays wind farm from 30 to 16 turbines, citing insufficient wind resources at the southern end and strong community opposition. A solar farm is still proposed for the southern site, while the northern project continues.
Offshore wind farms, crucial for renewable energy, may impact marine ecosystems, particularly harbour porpoises. Studies show mixed findings on porpoise activity around these sites, with ongoing research to understand the reasons.
Donald Trump's administration has repeatedly attempted to halt wind energy projects, leading to uncertainty and job worries for workers like Thomas Kilday. Despite legal challenges and buyouts costing billions, the administration claims no jobs were lost as leases were not operational.
The Trump administration will pay Duke Energy $129 million to abandon an offshore wind farm in North Carolina's Carolina Long Bay, aligning with the president's stance against wind energy. Critics argue this policy hinders climate goals and job creation, while the administration emphasizes affordable, reliable American energy.
Masdar is developing a 1 GW wind farm in Kazakhstan, featuring a 300 MW battery storage system. This project, part of Masdar's global renewable energy strategy, aims to supply electricity to 300,000 households and avoid 2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
The Crown Estate's annual profit to the Treasury fell by over half to £487m from £1.1bn, primarily due to reduced income from offshore wind option fees. Despite this, its net asset value grew to £16.7bn, and real estate profits increased.
The Trump administration is spending nearly $2.6 billion to buy back offshore wind leases, including $765 million for Invenergy's four projects. This strategy aims to hinder offshore wind development, which Trump opposes, while promoting fossil fuel projects.
Taiwan has certified its first marine OECMs, including offshore wind farms, recognizing their role in biodiversity conservation. This breakthrough offers a new model for marine protection, balancing industrial development with ecological preservation and fisheries sustainability.
A citizen group, "Hakodate's Water Source and Ecosystem Protection Association," has been formed to oppose a wind farm project in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Rock band GLAY's TERU is also supporting the signature campaign, which aims to halt the construction planned for an area including vital water sources.
Onshore wind development in the United States is being brought to a standstill.
Japan plans to build a 1-gigawatt floating wind farm in the Izu Islands to power Tokyo and the islands themselves by 2035, announced by Governor Yuriko Koike at a 2024 climate conference in Azerbaijan. The project would produce equivalent capacity to a nuclear reactor, but faces skepticism over its 2035 timeline, power generation forecasts, and technical demands, especially given the world's largest current floating wind farm in Norway produces just 94.6 megawatts.
Widely dispersed wind farms and solar panels are harder to target than fossil fuel power stations, Michael Shanks saysRenewable energy will boost the UK’s national security and make the country more resilient against potential aggression or sabotage, the government’s energy minister has said.Michael Shanks said widely dispersed wind farms and solar panels were much harder to target than large-scale fossil fuel power stations. They are also not vulnerable to supply shocks, such as the current oil crisis caused by the US-Israel war on Iran and the soaring gas prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...
Offshore wind turbines three times the height of the Statue of Liberty are spinning off Rhode Island's coast as major projects near completion. Revolution Wind is over 90% complete and delivering power to New England's grid, while Sunrise Wind is nearly 50% built. Together with nearby South Fork Wind and Block Island Wind Farm, these projects will power about 1 million homes across Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, even as President Trump seeks to end the U.S. offshore wind industry through leasing pauses and policy blockades.
