Wind power technology is evolving fast and the industry is involved in bringing new products to market that meet the needs of the local conditions across the country. However, in India R&D needs further support from the public sector and funds need to be made available to dedicated government agencies and universities for creating the necessary ecosystem for industry specific projects. A public-private model for this purpose would be welcomed by the industry if a research agenda is jointly developed to meet the current challenges being faced by the national industry. This will further enhance the capacities of our technical institutions and create a robust research community. The NIWE is a good example of this practice. Its mandate and capacity can be further strengthened to promote excellence in wind power development activities.
The National Institute for Wind Energy’s (NIWE) latest estimate for India’s wind power potential is 302 GW at 100 meters. The major wind power states are Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. To exploit the vast 7,600 km coastline for offshore wind energy in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, the National Offshore Wind Energy policy has been released. India’s Integrated Energy Policy projects 800 GW installed capacity in 2031-32. Around 40 per cent of this, or 320 GW, will come from renewable energy as per currently announced plans of the government. Considering the renewable energy potential in India, a rapid push is needed to meet this goal.
Wind power producers opted for the tax-based Accelerated Depreciation (AD) incentive (originally 80 percent depreciation in the first year of installation) or the Generation Based Incentive (GBI) of INR 0.5/kWh for at least four years and up to ten years with a cap of ` 10 million. The AD will be available at a reduced rate of 40 percent from April 2017 and the GBI could be discontinued. The new regime of GST may pose a challenge in the escalation of capital costs if it is not ‘zero’ rated. The table below shows the India’s year on year installed wind power, annual wind power generation and annual growth in wind power generation since 2007.
Wind power accounts nearly 9.87% of India’s total installed power generation capacity and generated 46,011 million kWh in the fiscal year 2016-17 which is nearly 3% of total electricity generation. The capacity utilisation factor is nearly 19.62% in the fiscal year 2016-17 (14% in 2015-16). 70% of wind generation is during the five months duration from May to September coinciding with Southwest monsoon duration. In India, solar power is complementary to wind power as it is generated mostly during the non monsoon period in day time .
Figure 1: Top ten turbine makers of 2017
There are several published scenarios examining the future role of wind power globally as a part of system transformation necessary for a clean energy future. Top ten turbine makers of 2017 are shown in Figure 1. Global cumulative installed wind power capacity from 2001 to 2017 (in megawatts) is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Global cumulative installed wind power capacity from 2001 to 2017 (in megawatts)
This statistic represents the worldwide cumulative installed wind power capacity between 2001 and 2017. In 2017, it was estimated that the cumulative installed wind power capacity would reach approximately 540,000 megawatts globally.
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