Before unveiling a trade agreement with the EU on Sunday at Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, US President Donald Trump unleashed criticism against wind turbines, claiming that nearly all wind turbines are manufactured in China and criticized their longevity. Some Chinese industry representatives said the questioning from the US about the cost and recyclability of wind energy facilities is untrue, and in wind energy investments, investors carefully calculate both returns and costs.
Moreover, wind power is currently one of the most effective means of combating global warming, the industry representatives told the Global Times on Monday.
Trump launched the verbal attack on wind turbines during a press conference with President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, according to media reports.
"They're killing us," he told reporters in Turnberry, according Politico. "They're killing the beauty of our scenery, our valleys ... They're made in China, almost all of them. When they start to rust and rot in eight years, you can't really turn them off. You can't bury them," Trump said, per Politico.
"The lifespan of wind turbines is typically 20 to 25 years - or even longer," an industry representative from a Chinese multinational wind turbine manufacturer who preferred not to be identified told the Global Times on Monday.
The Guardian said on July 24 that Trump's dislike of renewable energy first erupted publicly 14 years ago in a seemingly trivial spat over wind turbines visible from his Scottish golf course.
From 2011, Trump argued the "ugly" turbines visible from the Menie golf course were "monstrosities" that would help sink Scotland's tourism industry, the Guardian reported.
"As Trump returns to Scotland this week, though, he is using the US presidency to squash clean power, with major ramifications for the climate crisis and America's place in the world," the British media said.
Trump signed an executive order in January prohibiting new wind projects in the US, although ongoing projects are allowed to continue, the Washington Times said.
However, the US Department of Energy has said wind and solar projects are now more economically competitive than gas, geothermal, coal, or nuclear facilities, though windmills in locations lacking wind could be an exception, Forbes reported on June 21.
AP reported that "Trump misrepresents facts about wind power" during a recent Cabinet meeting.
For example, the US president claimed that the wind turbines are almost exclusively made in China but the country itself doesn't use wind turbines, which is a false claim, AP said.
Citing a report from the Global Energy Monitor, AP highlighted China's offshore wind development, calling China the undisputed leader in the offshore wind sector.
Major US corporations, including GE, conduct detailed cost assessments when investing in wind energy projects, said Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, noting that companies make decisions based on a comprehensive evaluation of performance, lifespan, maintenance costs, and other factors.
During a press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on June 5, the ministry's spokesperson Lin Jian said China is an important contributor to the global green transition.
China has green energy cooperation projects with over 100 countries and regions, and actively supports the free flow of high-quality green technologies and products. China provides over 80 percent of the photovoltaic components and 70 percent of wind power equipment in the world and has enabled the world's LCOE of wind and PV power to drop by more than 60 percent and 80 percent respectively, Lin said, noting that as a result, countries in the world, especially the developing countries, have affordable and better access to clean energy.
