PEOPLE & THEIR PROBLEMS

New Delhi, 29 December 2007

Wind Power In India

PREPARING FOR GUSTY FUTURE

By Radhakrishna Rao

The abundantly available, non polluting wind is all set to become a significant contributor to India’s endeavor towards meeting its growing energy needs. Right now, the country is the fourth largest generator of wind power in the world after Germany, Spain and USA. Moreover, India was one of the five countries that added more than 1,000-MW wind energy capacity during 2006-07.

According to sources in the Ministry of  New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the present installed wind power capacity in the country which stands at 7,093-MW is expected to touch 10,500-MW by 2011-12. Over the next five years, the country plans to boost the wind energy capability to the extent of 2,000 MW per year. As it stands, the gross potential for wind power has been estimated at 45,000-MW.

Thanks to the technological advances, the wind energy cost today compares favorably with coal and nuclear power. Presently, Tamil Nadu accounts for almost half of the total installed wind energy capacity in the country. Besides, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan which are also in the forefront of wind energy generation.

Meanwhile, the Chennai-based Centre for Wind Energy Technology (CWET), which is active in research and development, standardization, testing and certification for the wind energy sector, has taken up the challenge of preparing a wind atlas of the country. This wind atlas would reveal the speed and density of wind under varying climatic conditions in different parts of the country. Also, the wind atlas to qualify wind speed and density accurately would be available soon. It would establish how much more wind power could be generated.

According to energy experts, India has completed more than two decades of wind energy generation programme and there are no technical barriers in so far as the devices for harnessing wind power on a large scale is concerned. “Wind is an inexhaustible resource and has zero emission. One does not have to import wind from West Asia because it is a freely available resource”, asserted a fellow of The Energy Research Institute (TERI).

Incidentally, a study carried out by the World Bank and the US Energy Department lists India among the 29 countries that would stand to gain from harnessing wind power on a large scale. An expert from UNDP pointed out that India’s long coastline and vast desert expanses which are endowed with high wind power potentials are best suited for the wind energy generation projects.

Thanks to the sustained initiatives of the State-owned enterprises like Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL) and National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and vigorous efforts by many private companies, wind power generating units are produced indigenously with a minimum of imported contents.

A Chennai-based company, Indowind which produces wind power for sale to power utilities like the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) or corporate houses has become eligible for carbon credits from the United Nation’s Framework Convention For Climate (UNFFCC) under the World Bank’s Clean Development Mechanism. Indowind is essentially a wind farm developing company.

On the other and, Vestas, a global player in the wind energy sector, is drawing up plans to manufacture large capacity turbines from its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary for the Asian market. Export of wind energy generating machines from India is expected to grow rapidly as the global market is set to expand from US$ 20 million in 2007 to $37 million in 2010.

The Pune-based Suzlon Energy, India’s largest and the world’s fifth largest wind turbine maker has acquired global footprints over the last two years. Interestingly, Suzlon has made a big contribution to the popularization of wind energy parks, wherein the company does everything from the identification of the site, planning, technical implementation as well as operations and maintenance. It has already promoted wind energy parks in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Spurred by the gusty prospects of wind energy, oil and petroleum companies such as the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and Reliance Energy are busy working on their plans to make it big in this sunrise sector.

While ONGC plans to set up a 50-MW wind farm in Gujarat, Reliance Energy has tied up with US giant GE to develop 500-MW of wind power at an estimated initial investment of Rs.25,000 million. Power majors such as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Tata Power are also working towards setting up mega wind power projects.

Not to be left behind, the Indian Railways has unveiled a plan to set up a 10-MW wind power project near Chennai. Many of India’s power intensive and polluting industries like cement and textile have now set up their dedicated wind power project to save on power costs and to earn green profits by generating carbon credits.

Gujarat is now making its mark as a major hub for the production of wind power generating devices. While Suzlon has already setup a facility in Vadodara for manufacturing wind turbines, Jyothi Ltd, a Vadodara based company that was so far active in supplying generators to wind mill companies is now offering end-to-end solution for wind generation. Similarly, the Anand-based Elecon Engineering, with core strength in materials handling equipment and gears has now tied up with Turbo winds, a Belgian company for technical know-how for wind generating units.

Clearly, along with the technological innovations, the incentives offered by both the State and Central Governments. have been providing a “thrust and push” to the Indian energy sector. In India where the demand for power outstrips the supply by 7.3 per cent, investment in wind energy qualify for a hefty 80 per cent depreciation benefit in the first year of minimum six months operations.

Investors in wind energy also enjoy easy credit facilities, a ten year tax holiday and free grid linkage. “The market for wind energy is enormous in India and we have feedback that order books of all the wind mill manufacturers are full. There is a space for existing players to expand as well as new players to enter. A number of players are joining hands with foreign partners to set up shops in the country,” asserted the President of World Wind Energy Association. --- INFA

(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)