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Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
‘Beautiful' coal, ‘ugly' solar. How Trump reframed the energy debate.
President Donald Trump's plans for the future of American energy don't include wind or solar. One argument he has trotted out lately: They're 'ugly as hell.' Trump has said he wants to meet growing U.S. energy demands using nuclear, oil, gas and especially coal. 'I call it clean, beautiful coal,' he told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo this week. 'I don't want windmills destroying our place. I don't want these solar things where they go for miles and they cover up a half a mountain that are ugly as hell.' This aesthetic objection to renewable energy is something of a long-running critique from Trump. In the past he's called wind farms 'unsightly' and 'garbage,' while referring to wind turbines themselves as 'big, ugly suckers' that are 'rusting and rotting.' Trump's Aberdeenshire golf club unsuccessfully sued to block a wind project off the coast of Scotland on the grounds that it would spoil the view. To be sure, it's not just Trump who considers renewables unsightly. Solar and wind farms have an enormous visible footprint, requiring significantly more land than nuclear, natural gas or coal to produce the same amount of energy. They also run the risk of sustaining damage from particularly fierce natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes. Plenty of projects in the United States have faced opposition from people concerned they would be an eyesore, hurting property values and tourism. The federal agencies that oversee permitting are obligated to conduct visual impact assessments and consider local stakeholders' feedback. But Trump's particular formulation raises the question: Which energy sources are least offensive to the eye? What surprises some energy experts is not the president's distain for renewables, but his argument that fossil fuels are somehow more beautiful. 'Everyone has their own view of what's beautiful and what's not, but I have a hard time understanding how people could think that solar panels are such a desecration of the land while mountaintop drilling or drilling for natural gas and crude oil is not,' said Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business Energy Institute. Some experts who spoke with The Washington Post noted that much of the visual impact of renewables is localized at a single site, whereas fossil fuel production involves multiple sites, with potential for multiple eyesores. 'It's not just the coal-fired power plant that's going to be in my local area with the big smoke stacks,' Stephen Jarvis, an assistant professor of environmental economics at the London School of Economics, said. 'It's all the upstream supply chain, thinking about the railway tracks that are bringing coal to that area, all the way to the huge mine that's probably affecting a large part of the natural landscape as well.' There's also the visual impact of fossil-fuel emissions. 'Conventional fuels have — from an aesthetic point of view — an enormous impact, not only on climate change but visibility impairment everywhere,' Martin Pasqualetti, a geography professor at Arizona State University, has written extensively about the visual impacts of renewable energy landscapes. 'With the pollution that coal-burning power plants, refineries and oil put out, I think there's no comparison.' Experts have found that people who oppose renewables on aesthetic grounds tend not to have lived near fossil-fuel sources. And just because a community is pushing back against renewable projects doesn't mean residents would prefer a nuclear plant, a mine or a coal-fired power station in their neighborhood. 'If you look at research on pretty much any energy technology, it's pretty rare that people are thrilled about having this big piece of industrial infrastructure in their backyard,' Jarvis said. But from a policy perspective, the energy has to be generated somehow. 'Everything we do is going to have a visual impact; most of what we do is going to have a noise impact — although solar farms are probably the least impactful in that area, and some of the things we do are going to have a health impact,' Borenstein said. 'None of this stuff is going to be entirely free from these spillovers, and we have to make a choice.' A burgeoning field within design and architecture is devoted to making renewable energy more aesthetically pleasing. Some projects such as bladeless wind turbines and hummingbird-inspired blades use sleek designs to mitigate concerns about noise and visual distractions. Others, like the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation's DNA-shaped turbines and El Paso International Airport's illuminated installation, also serve an artistic purpose. Robert Sullivan, a former visual impact assessment consultant for federal agencies, said the geometric design of solar and wind technology makes it more conducive to artistic innovation than fossil-fuel sites. 'From a design sense, they have some things going for them because they're sculptural,' Sullivan said. 'A pretty large number of people actually like looking at wind turbines and solar facilities. You never really ever get people saying they like looking at strip mines or open pit mines or refineries, because if you've seen a refinery, you know it's visually chaotic.' Pasqualetti points to Palm Springs, California, as an example of a 180-degree turnaround in public perceptions about the aesthetics of renewables. The community — once fiercely opposed to wind farms — now opts for new renewable projects over other energy sources. 'In Palm Springs, there were people who were suing the local jurisdictions because the wind turbines were obstructing their view,' Pasqualetti said. 'Nowadays, a generation later, they're promoting wind turbines for tourism, people are getting married in the wind turbine fields, they have wind turbines on the logos of one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the country at Indian Wells.' Pasqualetti said a shift in aesthetic perceptions of renewables is well underway in other places as well. 'The fact that you can see them at all is something to be happy about because it means they don't have the same pollution,' Pasqualetti said. 'All you have to do is get used to the fact that they're there. And in fact it's a reminder that what you've chosen is, in all other ways, the most advantageous.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A megabill mystery: New solar and wind tax comes as a surprise to Republican senators
WASHINGTON — Tucked inside Republicans' massive domestic policy bill is an excise tax for wind and solar projects, a provision that came as a surprise not just to the renewable energy industry, but also to numerous senators who are crafting the legislation. In a twist, Republican senators insist they don't know how or why the tax was inserted into the bill they're rushing to pass. No senator is taking credit for or defending it. And at least one wants it removed. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the Budget Committee chairman, who released the 940-page bill, said he doesn't know where that provision came from. "It's a secret, I guess," Graham told NBC News on Monday evening. "I don't know where it came from." Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was baffled by the provision, saying the excise tax "just came about" like it was "airdropped" into the bill before the vote Saturday to proceed. "It wasn't part of any consideration," she said. "It's like, surprise! It's Saturday night. And we looked at it like, where did this come from?" "My view of it is — it's just entirely punitive to the wind and solar industry," Murkowski said, adding that the Republican-controlled Senate is "looking at different options" to deal with it. The provision would tax wind and solar projects if a certain share of their components come from China. It is ambiguously worded, and it would empower the Trump administration to iron out the rule. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said she's "OK with that" when she was asked about the details of the provision. But she, too, was in the dark about who inserted it. "You can add me to the group that doesn't know the answer," Lummis said. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the former Trump adviser, torched the legislation, saying it would "destroy millions of jobs in America." "Utterly insane and destructive," Musk said of the bill. "It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future." He added, "A massive strategic error is being made right now to damage solar/battery that will leave America extremely vulnerable in the future." Spokespeople for the Republican chairs of the Finance Committee (Mike Crapo of Idaho), the Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Mike Lee of Utah) and the Environment and Public Works Committee (Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia) didn't respond to requests for comment when they were asked whether the senators championed the provision. The White House and Republican leaders tout the bill as fulfilling President Donald Trump's promise to boost energy production in the United States, including fossil fuels. Trump also vowed to unravel clean energy incentives Democrats passed in the Biden administration. Democrats have blasted the excise tax — among other energy policies in the GOP bill — as an attempt to reward fossil fuel companies while further discouraging clean energy production. Industry groups also tore into the new excise tax. 'With no warning, the Senate has proposed new language that would increase taxes on domestic energy production," said Jason Grumet, the CEO of the American Clean Power Association. 'In what can only be described as 'midnight dumping,' the Senate has proposed a punitive tax hike targeting the fastest-growing sectors of our energy industry," he said in a statement. "It is astounding that the Senate would intentionally raise prices on consumers rather than encouraging economic growth and addressing the affordability crisis facing American households." Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, praised the overall bill but criticized that provision, writing on X that "taxing energy production is never good policy, whether oil & gas or, in this case, renewables." "Electricity demand is set to see enormous growth & this tax will increase prices," he said. "It should be removed." This article was originally published on
Wall Street Journal
29-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Senate Megabill Stuns the Clean Energy Industry With a New Excise Tax
Senate Republicans stunned the power industry over the weekend with a proposed new tax on wind and solar projects, part of a broader push to unravel incentives for renewable energy. Energy tax credits that were expanded during the Biden administration are wrapped up in a fierce Congressional fight over President Trump's signature tax and spending bill.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Summer Surge: AI Data Centers And Soaring Heat Test Texas Power Grid
Texas is poised to set a new record for peak energy demand this summer, driven by scorching temperatures and surging needs from new data centers and air conditioning use. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's power grid operator, projects a peak demand of 87,500 megawatts, surpassing the August 2023 record of 85,464 megawatts and significantly higher than the 74,650 megawatts in 2021. The increase is fueled, in part, by data centers powering AI and cloud storage, which is expected to grow from 2,400 megawatts next year to over 22,000 megawatts by 2030. Rising cryptocurrency production is also contributing to the demand for electricity, although it is expected to account for only a third of the demand for data centers within five years. Despite the strain, ERCOT anticipates the grid will meet demand, bolstered by increased solar production and battery storage capacity. However, emergency alerts are most likely in August after 9 p.m., when solar output declines. 'It has become statistically challenging to record a hotter-than-normal summer,' ERCOT forecaster Chris Coleman wrote, per Axios Dallas. He noted that six of Texas' 10 hottest summers have occurred in the last decade. Last summer ranked as the seventh-hottest on record, despite above-average rainfall. ERCOT expects energy use to continue rising over the next five years as Texas' population grows and summers intensify, pushing the grid to adapt to unprecedented demand.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blue Whale Energy partners UNIGRID to deploy urban C&I Battery storage across Southeast Asia
SAN DIEGO, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Whale Energy, a Southeast Asia based virtual power plant energy developer, and UNIGRID, Inc., an advanced sodium-ion battery innovator, announced a partnership to deploy behind-the-meter commercial and industrial (C&I) battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions tailored for dense urban environments. As solar installation rates soar globally, driven by falling costs, and progressive regulatory support, the electric grid is increasingly strained by the intermittent nature of solar energy and its mismatch with peak electricity demand. To bridge this gap, pairing solar with battery storage is essential. However, in dense urban environments, where the need for such solutions is highest, deploying BESS has long been constrained by space limitations. Urban areas lack open spaces for large containerized battery systems, and require setback distances that typically exceed commercially available footprint and industrial building boundaries. Blue Whale Energy is addressing this with a novel strategy: installing compact, modular battery packs directly beneath solar panels. This close-proximity co-location is unfeasible with traditional lithium-ion batteries, which pose serious fire risks and require complex and costly engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) infrastructure, including thermal management, specialized enclosures, and comprehensive fire safety mitigation. UNIGRID's technology is inherently safer and operates over a wide temperature range without the need for active thermal management, offering the right solution to overcome this problem. "This technology is a game changer for us," said Gabriel Lim, Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Energy. "With UNIGRID's sodium-ion platform, we can deploy energy storage directly where energy is needed - on commercial and industrial rooftops throughout urban cities where space constraints previously made installations unfeasible. This allows us to turn every roof into a dispatchable grid asset." "We're proud to support Blue Whale in building Southeast Asia's virtual power plant network, powered by distributed renewable energy and safe storage," said Darren H. S. Tan, CEO of UNIGRID Battery. "Such an approach allows us to open up new and untapped market opportunities in the BESS world." Blue Whale Energy plans to deploy an initial 8 MWh of sodium-ion solar-plus-storage systems by the end of 2025. From 2026 onward, the partnership will expand across Southeast Asia, accelerating the region's energy transition with flexible, fire-safe, and space-efficient solutions. View original content: SOURCE UNIGRID Battery / Blue Whale Energy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
