'Don Quixote' Trump for President: Tilting at Windmills

Donald Trump, American multi-millionaire and candidate for the presidency of the United States is not exactly known for his progressive views. As if his questionable remarks for refusing Muslims to enter the US wouldn't be enough. Supporters of wind energy, the entire American wind industry and ultimately every individual American voter whose belief does not end with shoveling money should carefully consider whether they want to see this man as President of one of the most powerful nations on earth. We'd all be better off with him playing golf instead.

However, in Scotland, he probably shouldn't (play golf, that is). While the Republican rushes from victory to victory in the primaries, this message could rather drive a flush of anger to the billionaire's face: Off the coast of the Scottish city of Aberdeen first preparations for the construction of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) have begun this week.

The EOWDC is a 100MW offshore wind farm which will be connected to the grid in 2018 and provide electricity to more than 68,000 British households.

The Dutch company Fugro has now begun to explore the seabed in the area to determine the final design and the exact location of the planned 11 turbines. The construction of the park will start at the end of 2017 or in early 2018 as the Swedish company Vattenfall announced earlier. The company is part of the operator consortium. An investment decision will be made to face the costs of about 230 million pounds in the course of this year.

Aberdeen City Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Laing, commented: “The EOWDC is a vital project for the North-east of Scotland and has reached an important point in its development. It will help to deliver significant and long-term economic benefits to the region and the opportunities for local energy companies will be substantial. The EOWDC will help to cement Aberdeen’s reputation as a global energy city and a world-leading centre for innovation. This is why the EOWDC has been a long-standing priority for AREG and this council.”

Initial plans for the wind farm came up as early as 2003 – and almost as long, the park has a prominent opponent: Donald Trump. He has since then provided a guerrilla war with the local authorities in multiple UK courts for years to prevent the construction of the wind farm. The tycoon owns a stretch of land on the coast of Aberdeen, where he wanted to build a golf hotel and several resident houses. He was quoted in 2006 by the BBC saying: "I am not thrilled – I want to see the ocean, I do not want to see windmills.“

His letters to the Scottish Prime Minister, however, were treated as negative over the years, as the actions before various courts which all have given approval to the construction. The courts dismissed his claims for both its assumed negative impact on tourism as well as to protect the local birdlife which Trump all of a sudden was interested in. Since then, he has sworn that he "will spend whatever monies are necessary to see to it that these huge and unsightly industrial wind turbines are never constructed."

The last time, the British Supreme Court had to deal with Trump was in December 2015. Again, his appeal was rejected. But even before that the American had announced to draw up before the European Court of Justice to enforce his personal interests if necessary.

Trump cannot hope to get the support of the local population though. In a recent survey by YouGov, which was carried out in advance of the Scottish elections on May 5, 70 percent of the Scots expressed their opinion that they wish their new government to continue prioritization of renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions and to combat climate change. Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The poll suggests that the people of Scotland continue to be strongly behind the growth of renewable energy, with support for the sector way ahead of any other.“

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has lost all credit with his potential neighbors which became clear at the beginning of this year when a woman from Aberdeen launched an online petition to refuse him entry to the UK in the future. The news quickly spread and the petition was initially signed as a result mainly by Scots. Although the British House did not agree with the petition it shows very clearly what Trump has to expect in the future of Scotland: resistance.

Taking the posturing of Trump in Europe as an example, should make the American offshore industry which is still in its infancy really uncomfortable. But the onshore industry would also be wise to stop Trump and his reactionary views in time – namely now! – and to oppose him and make sure, he will not become President. Just recently, the United States provided excellent installation numbers and proved what the country can achieve in renewable energies. Trump who has called wind turbines "environmentally irresponsible" does not fit into that state of mind. The example of Spain, once a world market leader in wind energy shows impressively how fast it can go down when a whole industry fades into insignificance. The Americans should – among other things – stay away from 'Don Quixote' and his tilting at windmills.