Wind Energy In India

India has very ambitious goals for increasing the use of renewable sources of energy, and has an entire ministry dedicated to the task, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. While much of the recent attention has been on the National Solar Mission¹ that aims to increase solar installations to 12,000 MW (from the current 3 MW), the potential for wind energy development in India is also considerable, estimated at 65,000 MW.² In fact, with 10,925 MW³ of current installed capacity, wind accounts for about seventy percent of the renewable portfolio in India. Wind power in India is highly seasonal, with the majority of generation taking place during the monsoon season. Wind potential is also regional, with the highest potentials in the western coastal and southern areas (see India wind map).⁴

The drivers of renewable energy demand in India are related to the need for rural electrification and poverty alleviation, and a growing level of concern for the environmental impacts of energy production. As part of India’s Eleventh Plan (2007-2012), various schemes and subsidies were announced, including a new generation-based incentive for large (>5MW) wind power production. The scheme aims to add over 10,000 MW of new wind power with an INR 0.5/KwH payment for ten years, over and above the tariff determined for wind power by the relevant regulatory authorities.⁵