Wind Energy: What’s ahead for the market?

By all statistics, the market for wind power in the United States is strong and getting stronger. In early March 2025, the American Clean Power Association (ACP) released its Snapshot of Clean Power 2024. 2024 was a dominant year for clean energy, including wind power. The ACP is the leading voice of today’s multi-tech clean energy industry, representing energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen and transmission companies.

Today, more than 73,000 wind turbines across the country are generating clean, reliable power. Wind power capacity totals 153 GW, making it the fourth-largest source of electricity generation capacity in the country. This is enough wind power to serve the equivalent of more than 46 million American homes.

A LR 11000 installs a wind turbine with a hub height 117 meters. BUCKNER HEAVYLIFT CRANES PHOTO: Blaine Bowen

Record year

ACP reports that the clean energy industry shattered records in 2024, deploying an unprecedented 49 GW of capacity, a 33 percent increase over the previous record of 37 GW set in 2023. Including both offshore and onshore wind, the overall wind pipeline is 40 GW, with 20 GW under construction.

Buckner HeavyLift Cranes is a major player in the wind industry, and the company’s fleet is directed to erecting wind turbines both on and offshore.

Buckner’s Brian Miller and Jay Breitbach, vice president of sales and director of wind sales, respectively, are in the trenches when it comes to wind work in North America. Buckner has erected wind towers on significant projects from the East Coast to Hawaii and from Texas to Canada.

The Buckner team concurs that the statistics from ACP paint a strong picture of the wind market.

“The U.S. wind market is strong, with onshore wind leading renewable energy growth due to falling costs and available capital (tax equity), though grid constraints (transmission) and permitting remain challenges,” said Miller.

The wind energy market is experiencing significant growth, which is driven by the increasing demand for power and ongoing efforts to create clean energy, Breitbach said.

“Wind energy remains a quick, cost effective and environmentally friendly power option when compared to other forms of power production,” he said. “Tax incentives have further contributed to wind energy projects being financially viable.”

Potential obstacles

But there’s a potential obstacle in future wind energy development and the market’s viability. The Trump Administration’s stance on wind energy could derail the market, or at least slow it down. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that was intended to slow the growth of wind generation capacity. The order mainly deals with federal land and waters, “temporarily withdrawing all areas on the outer continental shelf from offshore wind leasing and review of the federal government’s leasing and permitting practices for wind projects.”

“The Trump Administration’s stance on wind energy, including efforts to roll back tax credits and public skepticism, has introduced uncertainty but hasn’t stopped growth,” said Miller. “Strong state policies, corporate clean energy investment and wind’s cost competitiveness have kept the market expanding. Future development will depend on federal policy stability, transmission investment and state-level support, but wind’s long-term economic and environmental advantages ensure continued momentum.”

For now, it appears that onshore wind farm projects are moving forward. The offshore wind development sector is moving a little slower than was forecast because of the change in federal priorities.

“Offshore wind has encountered significant challenges, including supply chain constraints, limited port infrastructure and the need to navigate labor agreements with unionized workforces,” Miller said.

Because most offshore wind leases reside in federal waters, regulatory uncertainty adds another layer of complexity.

“One factor that limits even further growth of wind energy within the U.S. is the ongoing shift in federal priorities such as a recent executive order that halted new permits for offshore wind projects,” said Breitbach. “Although the change only affected offshore wind energy, it has created some uncertainty which could influence future investment. The immediate impact of these changes has been a standstill in offshore wind projects and a push to get onshore wind projects started as soon as possible.”

Still strong globally

Still, globally, the wind energy market is strong, especially in offshore wind energy development. Crane manufacturers are continuing to produce cranes that will erect taller and heavier wind turbine components.

“As OEMs introduce new turbine models, increasing hub heights require larger crawler cranes for onshore turbine erection,” Miller said. “The Liebherr LR11000 has become the preferred

choice, as it can efficiently install wind turbines with hub heights up to 120 meters without the need for a derrick, streamlining mobilization, pad-to-pad relocation and reducing setup time.”

Buckner HeavyLift Cranes has invested heavily in cranes that build wind energy plants, both on and offshore.

Buckner HeavyLift Cranes’ Liebehrr LR11000 works at the Flat Ridge Wind Farm in Kansas. BUCKNER HEAVYLIFT PHOTO: WAYNE HACKFELD

“Historically, wind turbine erection companies have preferred to use a simple crane configuration of main boom and fixed jib, and the cranes used most often have been the Liebherr LR1600/2 and Liebherr LR11000,” Breitbach said. “As wind turbine hub heights have increased, the use of a heavy lift configuration has become more common.”