Wind energy - the growing energy alternative
India's potential for harnessing wind energy ranks it 5th in the world. But popularising it in a hugely diverse county is the challenge. India's diversity comes out best above all in its diet. Where meat is a daily staple diet in one belt, its protein benefits are replaced by soya in another.
August 27, 2015 / 17:50 IST
India's potential for harnessing wind energy ranks it 5th in the world. But popularising it in a hugely diverse county is the challenge.India's diversity comes out best above all in its diet. Where meat is a daily staple diet in one belt, its protein benefits are replaced by soya in another. So while several small wind farm owners in Tamil Nadu are putting their windmills on the block- according to the Indian Wind Power Association, a private firm is setting up a wind farm in Belgaum that will generate 13MW of power and tap into the 216MW of wind power the area generates. While palate choices are regional, so are wind power resources and conditions.According to the ministry of New and Renewable Energy, wind power accounts for almost 70% of the total installed capacity in the renewable energy sector and the government has a target of doubling renewable energy output to 55 gigawatts by March 2017. This relies heavily on growth in the wind sector. In the current year, India has installed 19,662 megawatts of wind power according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Financial services major Reliance Capital is also investing Rs 100 crore in a wind energy joint venture, partnering with China's Ming Yang Wind Power Group that produces advanced wind turbines and provides customers with comprehensive post-sales services. The potential is also blowing towards the fresh new lot of game changers like Mytrah that are betting solely on wind energy to make them the largest independent power producer (IPP) in the country with a total installed capacity of 5,000 MW. Things are looking ripe for this sector as the budget 2013-14 has announced generation-based incentives [GBI] for wind-energy projects and has provided low cost finance for viable renewable energy projects along with a policy on shale gas-based revenue-sharing. This could also translate into employment opportunities in wind heavy zones like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal.Favorable policies are the key here. The Indian government has put in place a Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) for states, which sets a minimum amount of clean energy to be purchased by each state. It has also introduced Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanisms, wherein producers selling power in open-markets are eligible to receive and trade in RECs. This system creates a financial incentive to produce renewable energy, thereby providing more attractive returns on investment in such projects. The ministry has also released a draft for a National Offshore Wind Energy Policy that provides for certain fiscal incentives such as tax holiday for first ten years of offshore wind power generation, concession in customs duty and exemption in excise duty for procurement of technology and equipment.The National Offshore Wind Energy Authority will conduct resource assessment and surveys and enter into contract with project developers for development of offshore wind energy projects in territorial waters within 12 nautical miles of the shoreline and private firms with experience in surveys will also be allowed to collect data without any charges for their work, according to the draft.But in all of this, there has also been a community that has been keeping active watch on the norms and making use of one of nature's gifts in a productive manner. Environmental activists and experts have said that "green norms" are needed to regulate the country's wind energy projects as India's wind power capacity is expected to double by 2017. Many projects planned in forest areas have an impact on the local ecology, states a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Dedicated non-profit organizations have come up parallel to the industry so as to make it an overall sector of minds and hands working together to ensure that even questionable areas are addressed.A pleasant breeze should follow the fact that we've come a long way from when the first wind turbine which was set up about two decades back. A well clicked picture of multiple wind turbines in good light is a heart-warming capture, and when regular homes start powering themselves through them, a connect would certainly be made.Know more about GE Wind Energy Products and Solutions
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