Wind Energy

Wind Energy Wind power has been harnessed for centuries for pumping water for irrigation and driving mills. It can also be used for generating electricity.

According to the annual report (2004-05) of the Min­istry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, (MNES) on shore wind power potential in India has been assessed at 45,000 MW assuming one per cent of land availability for wind power generation in the potential areas. However, technical potential is limited to only 13,000 MW assuming 20 per cent grid penetration, which will go up with the augmentation of grid capacity in potential states. India has the fifth largest wind power installed capacity in the world.

The coastal states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa are better placed in regard to wind energy, as constant wind speeds above 10 km per hour are prevalent over coastal regions of these states. Notable progress has been made in the manufacture of wind turbines and wind turbine components to meet the domestic as well as export markets. Tamil Nadu leads the wind power development accounting for about 54 per cent of the total installed capacity.

The Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET) is implementing the Wind Resources Assessment Programme in coordination with the state nodal agencies. As many as 25 states and Union territories are covered under the Programme, which involves establishment of around 1,150 wind monitoring and wind mapping stations. Of these, 50 monitoring stations are at present in operation and the remaining stations have been closed down after collection of data.