Wind woes threaten US climate targets — report

By Adam Aton | 02/21/2024 06:13 AM EST

A slump last year for wind power came as other green sectors saw progress.

An American flag hangs on a ferry as it passes by Ørsted's Block Island Wind Farm.

An American flag hangs on a ferry as it passes by Ørsted's Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island on Dec. 7, 2023. Ted Shaffrey/AP

The power sector is flashing warning signs for U.S. climate goals, according to a new analysis that finds wind energy deployment lags what experts anticipated under the Inflation Reduction Act.

The United States connected wind energy to the grid last year at a slower pace than during the Trump administration, despite President Joe Biden’s financial and administrative support for renewables. The slump — due in part to higher borrowing costs and supply chain snags — risks putting U.S. climate targets out of reach unless wind energy rebounds quickly from a year of canceled projects.
a year of canceled projects

Other green sectors fared better last year, according to the report released Wednesday. Electric and hybrid vehicle sales registered at the top end of forecasts, despite concerns that consumers are cooling on them. Utility-scale solar and storage deployment also remained on track.
report released Wednesday

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“The only dark spot — which unfortunately has a material impact on the power sector — is wind,” said Anand Gopal, executive director of policy research at Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, one of the groups involved in the analysis.

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