Energy Security ~ II

We need sustainable and clean fuels so that we can drive our energy transition to renewable and other non-fossil energy sources. But a country like India will find it difficult to get out of the coal-trap easily. Though dirty, it is cheaper. It makes the entire world unsafe and insecure. This is where the rubber meets the road

- JAYDEV JANA

According to cumulative global wind installations, India ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed wind power, with a capacity of 41.8 GW as of November 2022. But this is not enough for the country to meet its target of sourcing 450 GW of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, set in its Nationally Determined power target of 60 GW by 2022 and 140 GW by 2030 compared to solar power target of 100 GW by 2022 and 280 GW by 2030.

An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi, shows that this wind power target can be achieved only if India increases its installed capacity by over 12 GW annually for the next eight years.

The National institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) estimates that the country has a wind potential of 302 GW at 100 m hub-height (indicates how high the turbine stands above the ground) and 695 GW at 120 m hub-height. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are the country’s top seven states with high wind energy potential. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat top the list by accounting for 24 and 23 per cent of the country’s total installed wind power capacity respectively. The advantage of wind power is that such plants could be spread all over the country based on the survey of wind conditions and thus be able to feed nearby consumers directly.

Where India’s transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in the power sector are ‘substantial’ (over 20 per cent of generation, which is more than twice the world average), this set-up would be fairly cost effective as transmission losses would be reduced.