Trump's Wind Decisions Will Force Some States to Revise Climate Goals
This makes the ambitious clean energy goals that states like New York, New Jersey, and Virginia have set for themselves impossible to meet. Solar farms with storage won’t be able to fill the gap left by wind. They’ll have to rely more on natural gas, which emits carbon dioxide when burned.
- It is virtually impossible for a state like New York to achieve its climate goals while ensuring adequate energy supplies (...), without offshore wind energy - says Julia Hoos of Aurora Energy Research, quoted by CNBC.
New York State committed in its 2019 climate law to generating 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of 2030, and to deploy 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced plans to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2035 and build 11 GW of offshore wind by 2040. A presidential executive order thwarted those plans.
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Today, New Jersey has a problem with Atlantic Shores, which was supposed to be the state’s first offshore wind project. After British Shell withdrew from the project, taking a $1 billion write-off, plans for a fourth bid for offshore wind were abandoned. The state’s Public Utilities Board cited “uncertainty caused by federal actions and permitting” and Shell’s withdrawal.
“The offshore wind industry faces significant challenges today, and now is the time for patience and consideration,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.
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