Trump’s broadside against wind industry puts projects that could power millions of homes at risk
A view of the turbines at Orsted’s offshore wind farm near Nysted, Denmark, September 4, 2023.
Tom Little | Reuters
President Donald Trump promised to unleash U.S. energy dominance, but his sweeping executive order targeting wind power puts a pipeline of projects at risk that would generate enough electricity for millions of American homes.
The order Trump issued on his first day in office indefinitely paused new offshore wind leases in U.S. coastal waters and halted new permits pending the completion of a review. The order jeopardizes proposed projects on the East Coast that have not yet secured permits totaling 32 gigawatts of power, according to data from the consulting firm Aurora Energy Research.
“At the moment, it’s really hard to see how any of these projects will be able to move forward,” said Artem Abramov, head of new energies research at the consultancy Rystad. Like Aurora, Rystad estimates that around 30 gigawatts of projects on the U.S. East Coast are at risk.
Those projects, if realized, would provide enough combined power for more than 12 million homes in the U.S., according a CNBC analysis of data from the Energy Information Administration. The order is not expected to impact projects under construction totaling about 5 gigawatts, according to Aurora.
Trump has abandoned commitments made during the Biden administration to fight climate change, withdrawing the U.S. for a second time from the Paris agreement. He has focused on boosting fossil fuel production, opening U.S. coastal waters to oil and gas leasing on the same day he withdrew those waters for wind.
Trump’s order will jeopardize the efforts of states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to transition away from fossil fuels and decarbonize their electric grid, Abramov said. New York, New Jersey and Virginia, for example, have ambitious clean energy goals adopted at the state level. But they are too far north to rely on solar with battery for power, Abramov said.
“If you want to achieve the future where the power generation in New York or New Jersey or Virginia is completely fossil free, if that’s the ultimate goal, there are not so many alternatives to offshore wind,” Abramov said.
The order could ultimately force states to rely more on carbon-emitting natural gas, according to Rystad and Aurora. But it is virtually impossible for a state like New York to meet its climate goals and ensure an adequate energy supply, particularly downstate in the New York City metro area, without offshore wind, said Julia Hoos, who heads Aurora’s U.S. East division.
Power projects waiting in line to connect to the electric grid in downstate New York through 2027 are almost entirely wind and transmission, Hoos said.
“There is virtually no possibility to bring online new gas in the next 18 to 24 months, unless there’s a significant reform or there’s some sort of fast track to bring online that gas, so you really can run into reliability issues,” Hoos said.
But more natural gas generation will likely be built later in the decade on the back of Trump’s policies, Hoos said. Investor sentiment was already shifting toward gas before the election results due in part to the need for reliable power to meet demand from artificial intelligence data centers, Abramov said.
Immediate impact
Two weeks after Trump’s order, New Jersey decided against moving forward for now with the Atlantic Shores project, which stood to become the first offshore wind development in the state. The state utilities board cited “uncertainty driven by federal actions and permitting” and European oil major Shell pulling out of the project.
“The offshore wind industry is currently facing significant challenges, and now is the time for patience and prudence,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement backing the board’s decision.
Murphy, who has set a goal to achieve 100% clean energy in New Jersey by 2035, said he hoped “the Trump Administration will partner with New Jersey to lower costs for consumers, promote energy security, and create good-paying construction and manufacturing jobs.”
Offshore wind in the U.S. “has come to a stop, more or less with immediate effect” in the wake of Trump’s order, Vestas Wind Energy Systems CEO Henrik Andersen told investors on the company’s Feb. 5 earnings call. Denmark’s Vestas is one of the world’s leaders in manufacturing and servicing wind turbines.
Industry headwinds
Trump’s order deepens the challenges of an industry that was already facing an uncertain outlook after years growth.
Wind has surged as power source in the U.S. over the past 25 years from 2.4 gigawatts of installed generating capacity to 150 gigawatts by April 2024, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Generation from wind hit a record that month, surpassing coal-fired power. Wind currently represents about 11% of total U.S. power generation.
But the industry has struggled against supply chain bottlenecks and high interest rates. Offshore wind was already the the most expensive form of renewable energy, Abramov said. Developers in the U.S. have faced a lot of cost certainty due to the challenges of building on water as opposed to land, Hoos said.
“The industry was hoping that the cost would come down,” Abramov said. “We haven’t seen any projects in the United States which was able to achieve lower levelized cost of energy.”
The world’s largest offshore wind developer, Denmark’s Orsted, decided on Feb. 5 to ditch its goal to install up to 38 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Orsted also slashed its investment program through the end of the decade by about 25% to range of 210 to 230 billion Danish crowns (about $29 billion to $32 billion), down from 270 billion crowns previously.
Orsted’s Sunrise Wind and Revolution wind projects that are under construction offshore New York and New England respectively should not be impacted by Trump’s order, CEO Rasmus Errboe told investors the company’s company’s Feb. 6 earnings call. Future developments, however, may be at risk.
“We are fully committed to moving them forward and deliver on our commitments,” Errboe said. “We do not expect that the executive order will have any implications on assets under construction, but of course for assets under development, it’s potentially a different situation.”
The order also should not impact Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, the largest such project under construction in the U.S. at 2.6 gigawatts of power, Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue told investors on the utility’s Feb. 12 earning call.
“Stopping it would be the most inflationary action that could be taken with respect to energy in Virginia,” Blue said. “It’s needed to power that growing data center market we’ve been talking about, critical to continuing U.S. superiority in AI and technology.”
Looking for clarity
The wind industry lobby group American Clean Power in a Jan. 20 statement described Trump’s order as a blanket measure that will jeopardize domestic energy development and harm American businesses and workers. The president’s order contradicts the administration’s goal to reduce bureaucracy and unleash energy production, ACP CEO Jason Grumet said in the statement.
The ACP is now trying to get clarity from the Trump administration on how the executive order will be implemented, said Frank Macchiarola, the group’s chief advocacy officer. It’s unclear, for example, when the review of permit and lease practices will be complete, Macchiarola said.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department simply said the department is implementing Trump’s executive order when asked for comment on a detailed list of questions. When asked when the review of permit and lease practices will be complete, the spokesperson said any estimate would be hypothetical.
The wind industry is committed to working with the Trump administration, supports the president’s push for energy dominance agenda and is making the case that renewables have a key role to play in that agenda as the largest new source of electricity in the U.S., Macchiarola said.
“When past administrations have chosen to stifle American energy development that has been almost universally viewed as a mistake,” Macchiarola said.
Onshore wind permitting has also been halted pending the review, but the part of the industry is unlikely to face a substantial impact, Rystad’s Abramov said. Wind farms onshore are almost entirely built on private rather than federal land, he said. The market is also already saturated and adding capacity is largely dependent on building out more energy storage first, the analyst said.
Offshore wind, however, is a much less mature market in the U.S. and was viewed as major growth opportunity for the industry, Abramov said. But that appears to changing rapidly.
“They don’t see the U.S. as a market for continuous offshore wind expansion as long as this order is in place,” the analyst said.
— CNBC’s Gabriel Cortes contributed to this report.
DJI may be best known for drones, but the company just launched a ground-based product that has the power to keep all your tech airborne – and then some. The new DJI Power 2000 is a 2,048 Wh portable power station with a 3,000 W output that quietly muscles its way into the heavy-hitter end of the mobile power world. I’ve been testing it for the past week in a wide range of scenarios – from charging up my electric tractor in the field to power my family’s chest freezer. And of course smaller jobs like charging up my phone and drone are easy jobs too. From my experience so far, I can tell you that this thing delivers.
But before I get into all the praise, let me get my one gripe out of the way early: You can’t use the DJI Power 2000 until you pair it with the DJI Home app.
That step alone doesn’t take long, but I’m not a fan of products that require a phone connection to get started.
When I take a power station out of the box, I want to push a button and see juice, not start pairing like I’m connecting Bluetooth earbuds.
With that said, once it’s set up, the Power 2000 makes a compelling case as the go-to portable power station for everything from remote camping to emergency home use.
It’s quiet. It’s fast. It’s powerful. And it might be one of the most rugged unit I’ve tested – which is a LOT of power stations by this point.
You can definitely tell that it’s built solidly, and I really like the 1/4-20 threaded inserts on the sides for mounting accessories – either those from DJI or others that I could possibly dream up.
Big power, fast charging
Let’s start with the headline numbers: 2,048 watt-hours of capacity and a continuous 3,000W output. That’s enough to run nearly any household appliance, including a microwave, power tools, or even charging up my electric UTV.
When I plugged in my Kandi UTV, the DJI Power 2000 didn’t even flinch. This would be a great way to recharge in the field if you ever accidentally ran low on power in the field. To put it in slightly outdated terms, it’s the equivalent of a little red gasoline can, but in the electric era.
As another “charging out in the field” test, I tried it out with my NESHER L880 electric loader. You shouldn’t ever run out of charge in an electric tractor as long as you’re watching your battery meter – but if you ever did, this would be a convenient way to get some charge back into it to drive home.
And as an added bonus, the NESHER L880’s loader bucket makes a great way to carry the fairly heavy power station around in the pasture.
For ports, the unit features four AC outlets, four USB-A ports, and four USB-C ports (two at 140W and two at 65W), plus dedicated SDC drone ports and a DC car outlet. I also used it to power my chest freezer for a test – it ran smoothly for hours, simulating a blackout scenario where this could genuinely save hundreds of dollars in spoiled food.
Charging the Power 2000 itself is no slouch, either. DJI claims it can go from 0 to 100% in 90 minutes from a standard wall outlet, and my tests confirmed it. I clocked just under an hour to nearly 80%, which is pretty impressive for a battery this size. It also supports car charging and solar input – dual 1.8 kW fast charging if you have the right panels and setup.
Quiet, durable, and smart
What impressed me most beyond the specs was how thoughtfully rugged the Power 2000 is. It uses LFP battery cells (my favorite for safety and longevity), is built with flame-retardant materials, and can allegedly support up to one ton of static weight. While I didn’t park a car on it, I did load it into the back of my electric UTV and bounce it down a dirt trail and across many acres of pasture land. It kept powering devices without interruption, despite getting a decent workout and tossed around quite a bit.
DJI claims that the unit includes 26 built-in temperature sensors that provide constant real-time monitoring, along with 21 fuses to handle any operation abnormality. Those seem like weirdly high numbers, but sure, why not?
DJI also offers a Zignes 100W solar panel and a solar panel adapter, which I tested out for a solar charging setup. It’s not enough to fully recharge the unit quickly on its own, but it’s a nice bonus for trickle charging during daylight hours or topping off mid-campout. And of course you can bundle more solar panels to double or triple the charging power via DJI’s adapter, which can also mount to the side of the unit with the built-in threaded inserts in the side of the power station.
Drone-friendly by design
As expected from DJI, there’s native support for their drone ecosystem. It’s a nice touch that makes this more than just a generic battery box – it’s clearly built for creators and drone operators in mind.
The system works to rapid charge DJI drones including the Air 3, Mavic 3, Inspire 3, and Matrice series. Of course I’ve got the one that doesn’t work: the Mini series. But that’s ok, since I was still able to charge it and the controller directly from the USB-C ports on the power station.
Final Thoughts
At $1,299, the DJI Power 2000 isn’t the cheapest battery in town, but for the performance, safety, and sheer ruggedness it delivers, the price seems quite fair compared to other units in the market that don’t feel as well put together. This isn’t just a big battery in a plastic shell. It’s an industrial-grade power station built to handle your wildest overlanding trips, blackouts, and gear-charging needs with ease.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. But I’d recommend DJI also rethink requiring an app just to get started. The Power 2000 deserves to shine on its own, right out of the box.
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Mercedes-Benz continues to demonstrate the capabilities of its future lineup of all-electric vans and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), all atop its new 800V Van Architecture. Most recently, Mercedes drove two test versions of its VLE MPVs nearly 1,100 kilometers, from Germany to Rome, Italy.
While Mercedes-Benz remains a leading provider of vans, that is one of the few vehicle segments it has truly electrified. At least, not yet. Beginning in 2026, Mercedes intends to begin launching a new series of all-electric, ultra-efficient vans and multi-purpose vehicles on its new Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA).
VAN.EA was unveiled in 2023 as a new 800-volt purpose-built EV architecture that will support both mid and large vans. These new models will feature 4MATIC AWD, significantly expanding driving range and ensuring the BEVs “meet the highest standards regardless of weather conditions.”
In the fall of 2024, we first looked at early camouflaged prototypes testing on public roads. One model, originally codenamed the VAN.EA-P has completed winter testing in Sweden and has since been renamed the VLE by Mercedes.
The VLE and a second all-electric model called the VLS will be the first two Mercedes vehicles to hit the market atop the new Van Electric Architecture. Still, before then, the German automaker took two test models of the former through the Alps to Rome, only stopping to charge twice along the way.
Mercedes’ VLE demonstrates efficiency through EU
According to Mercedes-Benz, two VLE electric van test models recently completed a real-world trip from Stuttgart to Rome, covering 1,090 kilometers (677 miles) and traversing steep, winding mountain passes in the Alps.
The trip lasted approximately 13 hours and faced steady traffic. It began at Mercedes HQ in Stuttgart, Germany, where temperatures were 52°F, and ended in Rome, where temperatures were significantly higher at 91°F. Despite the long route and weather changes, Mercedes said the cabin temperature of each VLE remained comfortable at 72°F.
During the nearly 1,110-kilometer journey, Mercedes says the VLE vans only stopped to charge twice, completing sessions around 15 minutes each time. By completing the journey, Mercedes-Benz says it has confirmed the VLE is ready for real-world use and will bring space and efficiency to families and adventure seekers alike. Per Dr. Andreas Zygan, Head of Development Mercedes-Benz Vans, Mercedes-Benz AG:
Our future MPVs have once again impressively demonstrated their suitability for everyday use on the long-distance route. With just two short charging stops from Stuttgart to the Alps to Rome – the Mercedes-Benz VLE demonstrates impressive efficiency of the new Van Electric Architecture.
Mercedes said it will continue to test the VLE and its Van Electric Architecture in Stuttgart and in real-world environments en route to product launches in 2026 as promised. As mentioned before, two of those initial models have now been confirmed with the names “Mercedes-Benz VLE” and the “Mercedes-Benz VLS.”
The VLE can accommodate up to 8 seats and serves a multitude of purposes, from family-friendly transport to exclusive VIP shuttles. Like the VLE, Mercedes is hailing the VLS as a “Grand Limousine” that will “define a unique segment of its own that bestows true greatness to automotive luxury.”
Better yet, Mercedes says it will offer these all-electric MPVs or Grand Limousines for the first time in the US, Canada, and China. As we move closer to 2026, we expect to see more of the VLE and VLS inside and out, and learn more about the performance specifications and pricing Mercedes intends to deliver. Stay tuned.
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As it struggles to sell EVs in the US, Toyota is resorting to bigger, gas-powered SUVs. That new Toyota electric SUV we are still waiting on? It’s delayed again, but there’s more to it.
Toyota pushes to sell gas SUVs as EV sales slump
Toyota sold 1,223 models of the bZ4X, its sole electric SUV in the US, last month. That’s less than the nearly 1,400 it sold in June 2024 despite upgrading it for the 2025 model year.
Through the first half of 2025, Toyota has sold 9,249 bZ4X models in the US, down from the nearly 9,500 sold in the same period last year.
Its luxury Lexus brand is also struggling to sell its electric SUV, the RZ. Last month, Lexus RZ sales fell 30% to just 763 units. Through the first half of 2025, RZ sales are down by a third (-33%), with just 3,779 units sold.
As the struggles continue, Toyota is now delaying more EV models as it shifts its focus back to gas-powered SUVs.
Toyota plans to begin producing a new electric SUV at its Kentucky plant in 2028, a year later than initially expected. The new EV was scheduled to be built at the automaker’s Princeton, Indiana, facility, following an additional $1.4 billion investment made last April.
According to AutoNews, the sudden shift is to free up capacity for its massive gas-powered Grand Highlander SUV.
Toyota is consolidating EV production and will build the new EV in Kentucky alongside a separate three-row electric SUV. The larger electric SUV is set for production in late 2026, rather than earlier in the year as initially planned.
“As previously announced, Toyota plans to produce two all-new, three-row battery electric SUVs in the US. Toyota will now assemble both vehicles at Toyota Kentucky,” Toyota said in a statement.
Toyota will ramp up production of the Grand Highlander in Indiana with a new dedicated assembly line. Through the first half of 2025, Toyota Grand Highlander sales are 20% with over 65,000 units sold.
Despite the delay, Toyota is still planning to launch seven new EVs in the US by mid-2027, including under the Lexus brand.
Later this year, Toyota will introduce the new bZ electric SUV (an upgraded bZ4X) with more driving range and an added NACS port to charge at Tesla Superchargers.
The smaller Toyota C-HR and rugged bZ Woodland electric SUVs are expected to arrive sometime next year.
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