The Wind Industry Remains Resilient

This episode covers how the wind industry is adapting to political
and regulatory challenges, from Ørsted's legal battle to restart
Revolution Wind to a wind executive preparing to row across the
Atlantic for ocean conservation. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News,
our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode
is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about
Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS
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YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the
show? Email us! There's something fascinating happening in the
world of wind power right now. Something that tells us less about
the technology itself, and more about human determination. You know
the story - Danish energy giant Ørsted the world's largest offshore
wind developer - spent five billion dollars building the Revolution
Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island. Eighty percent
complete. Three hundred and fifty thousand homes depending on the
electricity. Then, one August morning, the phone rings - The new
administration says: "Stop. Everything. Now." Just like that,
Orsted is losing a reported two million dollars every single day
the turbines sit idle. Last Monday, federal judge Royce Lamberth
looked at the government's reasoning and said - and I quote -
"There is no question in my mind of irreparable harm." He ordered
work to resume immediately. Ørsted's stock jumped. The workers went
back to their jobs. The turbines will spin again. Meanwhile,
President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" has triggered
something nobody saw coming: the great wind energy consolidation.
Clean energy deals jumped from seven billion dollars to thirty-four
billion dollars in just six months. Companies like Agilitas Energy
are swooping in, buying up distressed assets from companies that
may struggle with the new reality. As Barrett Bilotta from Agilitas
put it: "We are on the buy side." Across the Atlantic, let's talk
about France. Now, you might think the French would be leading the
offshore wind revolution. After all, they've got coastline, they've
got technology, they've got TotalEnergies. But you'd be wrong.
Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies' chief executive, put it bluntly
this week: "It's hell to invest in France for regulatory reasons."
Get this - it takes two and a half to three years just to bid on
offshore wind projects in France. In Germany, Pouyanne can get
permits twice as fast. "I don't understand," Pouyanne said, "why
we're able to renovate Notre Dame Cathedral in five years and
unable to build solar or wind plants at the same pace." And yet -
here's the kicker - even as he criticized his home country,
TotalEnergies just won the contract for France's largest offshore
wind farm ever. One and a half gigawatts off the coast of Normandy.
But here's where the story gets interesting. While France stumbles
with red tape, parts of North America is waking up. Up in Nova
Scotia, Minister Sean Fraser announced this week that Canada is
moving full steam ahead with offshore wind development. They're
calling it part of a sixty billion dollar opportunity. The
Canadians are doing something smart: they're learning from everyone
else's mistakes. Streamlined processes. Clear timelines. So what
does all this tell us? It tells us that wind energy isn't just
about technology anymore. It's about adaptation. It's about
resilience. It's about knowing when to fight and when to pivot.
Ørsted fought in court - and won. TotalEnergies called out France's
bureaucracy - while quietly building their biggest offshore wind
farm ever. Canada saw opportunity in others' uncertainty. And the
smart money? It's buying up assets while they're cheap, knowing
that the wind is a long-term investment. Speaking of people who
understand resilience, let me tell you about Stacey Rivers. She's
the Chief Innovation Officer at BladeBug - a company that builds
robotics for NDT inspectinos of offshore wind turbines. In
seventy-five days, Stacey and her teammates Jonno Hammond and Emma
Wolstenholme will do something extraordinary. They'll row three
thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean in the World's Toughest
Row. Why would a successful wind energy executive attempt something
so dangerous? Because she believes the ocean is calling for help.
"This journey is more than just a test of endurance," Stacey says.
"It's a powerful platform to champion ocean conservation and
sustainable innovation." Every stroke across the Atlantic will
raise awareness for a zero-carbon future - the same future that
offshore wind farms are helping to build. If you'd like to support
their mission, visit www.calltoearth.co.uk. You see, there's
something about human nature: we adapt. We overcome. We find a way.
The wind energy industry is learning that lesson right now. Some
companies will fall. Some will consolidate. Some will pivot to
friendlier markets. But the wind... the wind keeps blowing. Off the
coast of Rhode Island, those Revolution Wind turbines are spinning
again. In Britain, massive wind farms continue to rise from the
sea. Canada is planning its offshore future. And somewhere, a smart
investor is buying tomorrow's energy infrastructure at today's
distressed prices. Meanwhile, people like Stacey Rivers are
literally rowing toward that sustainable future, one stroke at a
time. The storm will pass. The wind remains. And human
determination will carry us forward. That's the story of resilience
in renewable energy.