Wind turbines operate at a wind farm near solar panels near Palm Springs, California, on March 6, 2024.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration will not approve solar or wind power projects, even as electricity demand is outpacing the supply in some parts of the U.S.
“We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar,” Trump, who has complained in the past that solar takes up too much land, posted on Truth Social. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!”
The president’s comment comes after the administration tightened federal permitting for renewables last month. The permitting process is now centralized in Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s office.
Renewable companies fear that projects will no longer receive permits that were once normal course of business. The president’s comments Wednesday will likely heighten those concerns.
Trump blamed renewables for rising electricity prices in the U.S. Prices have risen on the nation’s largest grid, PJM Interconnection, as rapidly growing demand from data centers and other industries faces a tight power supply as resources such as coal plants are retired.
PJM Interconnection saw prices for new power capacity rise 22% compared to last year in an auction held last month. PJM covers 13 states across the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest and South.
But solar and battery storage are the power sources that can ease the supply-and-demand gap the quickest, as they make up an overwhelming majority of the projects in line to connect to the grid, according to data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Trump has launched a sweeping attack on renewables since taking office. His One Big Beautiful Bill Act terminates the investment and production tax credits for wind and solar by the end of 2027. Those credits have played a key role in the expansion of renewable energy in the U.S.
The president’s steel and copper tariffs have also increased the costs of solar and wind projects, renewable companies say.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday ended its support for solar on farmland.
