Despite Political Headwinds, Wind Power Keeps Rising In The US

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US President Donald Trump swept back into office on a mission to destroy thousands of construction jobs and disrupt private sector investments in the domestic wind industry. Why? Who knows! Fortunately for some job seekers, the effort to curtail wind power in the US has been only partially successful, with the state of Pennsylvania being a case in point.

Wind Power Rising In Pennsylvania

While not particularly well known for the size of its footprint in the US wind industry, Pennsylvania was an early wind adopter and it was among the first states to covert a coal mine to a wind farm. The 10-megawatt Green Mountain Energy Center, located on a former coal site in Somerset, began construction in 2000. It was decommissioned five years of schedule, in 2015, as a new generation of more powerful turbines rendered it obsolete (more details here).

Speaking of obsolete turbines, Pennsylvania’s earlier forays have provided it with an opportunity to partake in the wind repowering field. Repowering projects replace older, obsolete turbines and foundations with new equipment. Generally, developers aim to generate the same, or more, wind power from the same site. Some projects involve upgrading the existing turbines, including the use of taller towers that capture more consistent wind resources. Others are designed to cut the number of  turbines on the site.

In 2024, for example, the developer Deriva Energy completed a wind repowering project for the North Allegheny wind farm, located in Cambria and Cumberland counties. The project required coordinating with the Department of Defense to accommodate the height of the new turbines. The location of a nearby transmission line also played a role in the planning. All that hard work paid off, with the completed wind project reaching a capacity of 75 megawatts, compared to 70 megawatts before repowering.

New-build wind power is also continuing to carve out a footprint in the state’s energy profile, though slowly. In 2024 the firm Competitive Power Ventures (a branch of CPV Group) began work on the 114 megawatt Rogue’s Wind project in Cambria and Clearfield Counties. Of note, Rogue’s Wind is the company’s third coal-to-renewables project in Pennsylvania. The other two are the solar projects CPV Fairview and CPV Maple Hill.

Follow The Money

In the early 2000’s, a coalition of in-state and out-of-state universities attempted to support the growth of wind power in Pennsylvania with purchasing commitments, but the attempt was not particularly effective over the long term. Earlier this year the organization PennEnvironment reported that the state ranks 47th in renewable energy uptake.

That doesn’t mean activity has come to a standstill, but it does indicate that renewable energy developers in the state face more obstacles — and/or fewer incentives — than elsewhere. “Renewable energy generation over the past decade in the Commonwealth has fallen well behind the national pace, only increasing by 81% compared to the national average increase of nearly 200%,” PennEnvironment reported.

“The percentage of electricity Pennsylvania gets from renewable sources has risen to only 5%, up from a stagnant 3% since 2016. Pennsylvania is still well behind similar energy states such as Texas, which gets 37% of its electricity from wind and solar,” the organization emphasized.

Despite the obstacles, a fresh round of interest from the global financial community indicates a stronger showing is in the cards for both solar and wind power.

In the latest news in that space, the Pittshburgh-based developer Exus Renewables North America takes note of a billion-dollar commitment from the global private sector firm Partners Group.

“Following Partners Group’s investment, Exus Renewables North America now operates as an independent, standalone company, sharing the Exus brand name with its European and Latin American counterparts while operating as separate entities,” Exus explains.

“Through our ongoing partnership, we benefit from a globally aligned perspective and a coordinated approach that enhances our ability to deliver high-value solutions across the energy landscape,” the firm elaborates.

More Wind Power For Pennsylvania

Exus has not been letting the grass grow under its feet. Under its current focus on data centers and other large loads, earlier today the company dropped word that it has closed financing on not one but two wind power projects in Pennsylvania.

The total of $365 million in construction financing will support the new 61.6 megawatt Cambria Wind Farm. Already under construction, the new wind farm is expected to begin operating later this year. The other site is the 75-megawatt Highland North Wind Farm repowering project, also in Cambria County.

Once both projects come on line, Exus will cover almost 307 megawatts’ worth of wind power in Pennsylvania.

There’s more where that came from. Another wind power stakeholder to watch is Texas-based Leeward Renewable Energy. Its wholly owned subsidiary Allegheny Ridge Wind, has lent its name to a repowering project located in Cambria and Blair counties.

“The Allegheny Ridge Wind project began operating in 2007 and is comprised of 40 Gamesa G87 2.0 MW wind turbine generators,” the firm explains.

The plan is to upgrade all 40 turbine locations already on site, providing another 30 years of operation for the wind farm. LRE expects the upgraded site to be commissioned next year.

Next Steps For Wind Power In The USA

Of course, federal energy policy is just one factor influencing wind power uptake among US states. A change in hands from Republican to Democratic control of Congress and the White House could help loosen the screws, but state policy makers of both parties, and their voters, also play a role.

That element was underscored earlier this year in a report by the independent news organization Inside Climate News, which connects the dots between the organization Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future and political influencers.

Natural Allies’ goal is to redefine gas as “the most affordable and reliable energy source,” noted ICN reporter Kiley Bense on April 11.

“Natural Allies—whose funders include the fracking company EQT, gas utility Enbridge and Venture Global, a liquefied natural gas provider—woos left-leaning and moderate voters in blue and purple states by hiring Democratic leaders,” Bense elaborated, citing the example of former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

According to Bense’s reporting, in 2024 an advisory firm associated with Nutter received $240,000 for his work with Natural Allies. Bense also notes that Natural Allies includes other leading Democrats, including Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, on its advisory board.

“Eugene DePasquale, the current chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, is the state chairman for Natural Allies,” Bense adds.

Well, then. If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the discussion thread.

Photo: The US renewable energy firm Exus has attracted $365 million in construction financing to complete two wind power projects in Pennsylvania (cropped/enhanced, courtesy of Exus).