A Word About Wind has launched its Finance 2017 report, examining the political and economic challenges facing the wind sector over the next twelve months. While the exact nature of some threats – such as Brexit – is as yet unknown, the report outlines how the sector can best cope in the face of such uncertainty.
Charting the rise of right-wing politics across Europe and the US, for instance, Finance 2017 examines what this phenomenon will mean for both national energy policies and the future of the European Union – a significant driver of the wind industry’s development across the continent. In turn, the economic ramifications of this political uncertainty may be keenly felt by those working in wind. In particular, while wind has historically benefited from low interest rates, the report details why these may be about to come to an end – and what this will mean for those with an interest in the sector. On the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency, A Word About Wind’s Editor, Richard Heap, comments: “There is nothing like the election of a climate change denier and serial wind farm objector as ‘leader of the free world’ to raise the blood pressure of this industry. But US wind is resilient, and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the sector as President Trump takes control.” The report includes insights from industry figures who are similarly optimistic. As Sandy Reisky, founder and chairman of US developer Apex Clean Energy, outlines in the report “With the favourable cost of energy and compelling value proposition of renewables, we are confident that our industry will continue to grow.”
