French Wind Power Growth Hits 20-Year Low Amid Backlash

France is projected to add its smallest amount of new wind-power capacity in two decades, according to a Bloomberg.com report. This slowdown stems from public opposition to wind turbines, spearheaded by the anti-immigration National Rally party, and is exacerbated by political instability following a hung Parliament. Jules Nyssen, president of Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables, the country's largest renewable energy lobby, indicated that if the installation rate observed in the first half of the year continues, France will only add approximately 500 megawatts of capacity. This figure would represent the lowest level of new capacity since 2005. Nyssen attributes this decline to a lack of clear direction in the nation's energy policy.