Trump: No New Permits for Solar and Wind Energy Projects

SadaNews - U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his administration will not approve solar or wind energy projects, even as demand for electricity surpasses supply in some parts of the United States.

Trump, who has previously complained that solar energy takes up vast amounts of land, wrote on "Truth Social": "We will not approve destructive wind or solar projects that ruin farms. The days of stupidity in the United States are over!".

The president's comments come after his administration tightened federal permits for renewable energy sources last month. The permitting process is now centralized in the office of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, according to CNBC.

Renewable energy companies fear that projects will not receive permits that were previously considered a normal course of action. The president's comments on Wednesday are likely to exacerbate these concerns.

Trump has blamed renewable energy sources for rising electricity prices in the United States. Prices on the country's largest electricity grid, PJM Interconnection, have risen amid rapidly increasing demand from data centers and other sectors, which are facing a shortage of power supplies as sources like coal plants retire.

The PJM Interconnection saw a 22% increase in new power capacity prices compared to last year in an auction held last month. This grid covers 13 states in the Midwest and parts of the South.

However, solar energy and battery storage are the fastest sources of energy in closing the supply-demand gap, accounting for the vast majority of projects awaiting connection to the grid, according to data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Trump has launched a full-scale attack on renewable energy sources since taking office. His "Big Beautiful One Bill" legislation ends tax incentives for investment and production in wind and solar energy by the end of 2027. These incentives have played a major role in expanding renewable energy in the United States.

Renewable energy companies have reported that tariffs imposed by the president on steel and copper have also increased the costs of solar and wind energy projects.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ended its support for solar energy on farmland on Tuesday.