Onshore Wind: Permitting Is the Binding Constraint

Onshore wind's core problem in the U.S. and Europe isn't economics — capacity factors at Midwest sites routinely exceed 45% on modern turbines — it's permitting latency. Average U.S. onshore wind permitting timelines have stretched to 4–5 years, driven by NEPA reviews, radar interference objections from DoD, and local opposition. The Inflation Reduction Act did nothing structural to fix permitting, and the FAST-41 process is largely aspirational. Investors should track platforms that reduce permitting friction — site assessment software, acoustic and shadow-flicker modeling tools, and community engagement platforms — as these compress timeline risk and improve IRR more reliably than incremental turbine efficiency gains.