India’s wind energy sector is led by indigenous wind power industry and has shown consistent progress.
The country currently has the fourth highest wind installed capacity in the world with total installed capacity of 39.25 GW.
India can generate 127 GW of offshore wind energy with its 7,600 km of coastline.
Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan are the top 5 wind-energy potential states in India.
Advantages of Wind Energy
It is a renewable source of energy,
It is environment friendly,
Reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions,
Mitigates the price uncertainty, and
Generates employment.
Reasons for their Limited Spatial Spread
Less lucrative
Intermittent nature - Low power generation when the wind speed is low.
Requires huge initial Capital.
Land acquisition is another major challenge.
Poor state of DISCOMS.
Local fauna may be impacted by wind farms.
Alternative land uses that might be more valuable.
Offshore wind farms can impact the Marine Flora and Fauna.
Way Forward
The main concern is the slowdown of the wind industry, due to a shift in procurement which has challenged cost recovery, in addition to land allocation and grid capacity issues.
Wind power should take advantage of the push for RE from India’s global partners, such as the US, Norway, Japan, Denmark and the EU.
Developing underwater power evacuation and sub-sea substations: The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd can do the work. This would reduce the risk for offshore wind project developers.
