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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS
07 April, 2021
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GS-Paper-3 Renewable Energy – Infrastructure development- Prelims & UPSC Interview
Context: Renewable energy mainly Wind energy is the most important topic of discussion in the 21st Century when the World has faced the problem of Climate change and Energy security. This topic is highly important for UPSC's main examination under Paper-3 Infrastructure and Energy security.
As per a report by Fitch Solutions Macro Research, India is likely to install 54.7 GW of wind capacity by 2022 against the 60 GW target set by the government. It has also been found that land acquisition issues and grid bottlenecks will lead to delays to project implementation in the wind sector.
Wind power is one of the key renewable energy sources for electricity generation in India. With 37.5GW of capacity installed, the country currently ranks fourth in the world in wind power generation after China, the US and Germany
Top Wind power
1. Muppandal Wind Farm: 1,500MW
Situated in the Kanyakumari district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the 1,500 megawatts (MW) Muppandal wind farm is the country’s largest onshore wind farm. The project features a large number of wind turbines of varying sizes from 200 kilowatts (KW) to 1650KW.
Developed by the state-owned Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency, the facility uses wind from the Arabian Sea to generate renewable energy for nearby residents and contributes to India’s overall energy mix.
The wind farm features turbines from several manufacturers including Suzlon, NEG Micon, Vestas, and Enercon.
2. Jaisalmer Wind Park: 1,064MW
Developed by Suzlon Energy, the Jaisalmer wind park is the country’s second-largest onshore wind project. The 1,064MW project, which is located in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, features a cluster of wind farm sites within the Jaisalmer district including Amarsagar, Badabaug, Baramsar, Tejuva and Soda Mada among others.
The wind park development started in 2001 and its current capacity was achieved in April 2012. Suzlon’s entire wind portfolio, ranging from the earliest 350Kw model to the latest S9X – 2.1MW series, has been used in the project.
Renewable energy solutions provider Suzlon built wind farms for a range of customers, including private and public sector firms, independent power producers and power utility providers.
3. Brahmanvel Wind Farm: 528MW
The 528MW Brahmanvel wind farm, located in the Dhule district of Maharashtra, has been developed by Parakh Agro Industries.
Apart from Dhule, the other places in Maharashtra which have a large number of power generating facilities include Satara, Sangli and Panchgani.
Maharashtra has the largest wind energy installed capacity in India after Tamil Nadu with 4098MW.
4. Dhalgaon Wind Farm: 278MW
Gadre Marine Exports developed the 278MW Dhalgaon wind farm in Sangli, Maharashtra. The wind farm, commissioned in 2005, features turbines from Suzlon and Enercon.
The investor-friendly policies make Maharashtra one of the best states to invest in wind energy. About 2309MW of private wind power projects have been installed in the state up to March 2011.
According to Maharashtra Energy Development Agency, the commercial viability of wind power projects is gradually increasing because of technological advancement.
5. Vankusawade Wind Park: 259MW
Maharashtra is also home to the 259MW Vankusawade wind park, which is one of India’s largest wind power production facilities.
The Vankusawade wind farm, which features Suzlon S33/350 turbines of 350KW each, is situated on a mountain plateau 1,150m above the Koyana Reservoir, around 40km from the town of Satara, Satara District.
The windy and cold Vankusawade site has various old, weather-worn turbines with lattice towers and decaying blades.
List of 10 Largest Wind Power Plants in India
Wind Power Plant |
Megawatt (MW) |
Location |
Muppandal wind farm |
1500 |
Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari |
Jaisalmer Wind Park |
1064 |
Rajasthan, Jaisalmer |
Brahmanvel wind farm |
528 |
Maharashtra, Dhule |
Dhalgaon wind farm |
278 |
Maharashtra, Sangli |
Vankusawade Wind Park |
259 |
Maharashtra, Satara District. |
Vaspet |
144 |
Maharashtra, Vaspet |
Tuljapur |
126 |
Maharashtra, Osmanabad |
Beluguppa Wind Park |
100.8 |
Beluguppa, Andhra Pradesh |
Mamatkheda Wind Park |
100.5 |
Madhya Pradesh, Mamatkheda |
Anantapur Wind Park |
100 |
Andhra Pradesh, Nimbagallu |
Wind Power Potential in India
The top States in India – Installed Wind Power Capacity
World’s 10 Largest Wind Power Plants
Wind Power Plant |
Megawatt (MW) |
Location |
Gansu |
7,965 |
China |
Alta |
1,548 |
United States of America (USA) |
Muppandal wind farm |
1500 |
Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari |
Jaisalmer Wind Park |
1064 |
Rajasthan, Jaisalmer |
Los Vientos Wind Farm |
912 |
United States of America (USA) |
Shepherds Flat |
845 |
United States of America (USA) |
Meadow Lake Wind Farm |
801 |
United States of America (USA) |
Roscoe |
782 |
United States of America (USA) |
Horse Hollow |
736 |
United States of America (USA) |
Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm |
705 |
United States of America (USA) |
Policies Related to Wind Energy in India
Initially, the Government had the National Wind Power Policy but subsequently both the onshore and offshore wind policies were developed. For offshore wind energy, India has a very vibrant policy which came up in October 2015, known as National Offshore Wind Energy Policy framework. The objective is to develop the offshore wind energy in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) along the Indian coastline.
Problems in the Wind Energy Sector
For the past three years, there has been a lull in the wind power sector. In 2016-17, India added around 5.5 GW; in 2017-18, it came down to 2 GW. Initially, the growth in the wind energy sector picked up because of the incentives in a generation, accelerated depreciation and taxation. The Government has gradually taken these incentives away. The lowest bidding price for solar energy is Rs 2.23 per unit whereas in wind energy, it is about Rs 4.50. Investors find investment in the solar energy sector more lucrative.
Source: Web
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