Annual wind turbine manufacturing capacity to cross 17,000 MW by 2012-13. |
Winds of change: Wind turbines at Andhiyur village, 13 kilometres from Pollachi in Coimbatore district.
India, with an installed wind generating capacity of 12,800 MW, is emerging as a major manufacturing hub of wind turbines. As of now, 17 manufacturers have a consolidated annual production capacity of 7,500 MW and nine new companies are expected to enter the Indian wind energy sector in the next one or two years. The annual wind turbine manufacturing capacity is likely to cross 17,000 MW by 2012-13, according to a background note on the wind energy industry, prepared for the Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference 2010 that got under way at Greater Noida here today.
The note, prepared for a session on “Wind energy: Leapfrogging into a new era”, says that Indian companies are exporting wind turbines and turbine blades to Europe, the US, Australia, China and Brazil. Some of the foreign companies with subsidiaries in India are sourcing more than 80 per cent of their components from Indian component manufacturers.
The Global Wind Energy Outlook 2010, prepared by the Global Wind Energy Council, estimates the installed capacity in India to reach 65,000 MW in the next 10 years, with investment of about $80 billion and employment of about 1,50,000 people.
Push by way of political will
Participating in the session, Mr Steve Sawyer, Secretary-General, Global Wind Energy Council, said globally feed-in tariffs for wind power had been useful in kick-starting the industry. What was now needed was an unambiguous expression of political will either in terms of capacity targets or renewable portfolio standards that would help investors, manufacturers and others in the industry to finalise their plans. There should also be a transparent and effective payment system and priority access to the grid for wind power. However, the rising trade protectionism measures would harm the industry in the long term as they would hinder the transfer of technology.
Mr Pramod Deo, Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, said a re-assessment of the wind potential was necessary. (India's wind power potential had been estimated at 48,000 MW, but the industry believes that it must be at least double that figure, mainly because of the advances in technology that help harvest more wind even at lower speeds.)
The renewable energy certificates, which were among the regulatory measures taken to help grow the renewable energy sector, will be launched shortly and they will also help the sector grow.
Mr Rakesh Bakshi, Chairman and Managing Director, RRB Energy, a wind turbine manufacturer, participating in a CEOs roundtable, said a renewable energy law was necessary for India, if the sector were to realise its full potential.
“We are like an aircraft that has reached the end of the runway and the taxiing period is over. We are waiting to take off,” he said.
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