A billionaire oil tycoon has taken the top spot in a list of the world’s most influential wind energy players.

A Word About Wind’s annual Top 100 Power People ranks American entrepreneur Philip Anschutz, worth a reported $12 billion (£9bn), as the most important name in the sector.

The publication says Mr Anschutz secured the top spot because he provides an opposition figure to President Trump’s public anti-renewable messages.

The tycoon’s planned 3GW wind farm on his land in Wyoming will be the largest onshore wind farm in the US once it is completed.

Richard Heap, Editor of A Word About Wind, said: “The fact that our top spot has been taken by Philip Anschutz, a man with a highly successful track record in business but little previous involvement in clean energy, is testament to the exciting position the wind industry finds itself in.

“It shows that people are starting to realise that renewables, even without their other benefits, simply make the most business sense – both in the US and worldwide.”