HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 31: Model Answer

Question: Discuss the potential of Wind Energy in India.   4 Marks

 Answer: 

Wind is a clean and renewable energy. In the epoch of rise Energy demand in India coupled with the need of green and clean energy, harnessing wind energy is the demand of hour. the total installed capacity of 35 GW. Wind energy makes up the majority about 68 per cent of the total renewable energy capacity installed in India. Under National Wind Energy Mission government has set up the Target of producing 60GW of wind Energy by 2022.

The Government, through National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), has installed over 800 wind-monitoring stations all over country and issued wind potential maps at 50m, 80m and 100m above ground level. The recent assessment indicates a gross wind power potential of 302 GW in the country at 100 meter above ground level. Most of this potential exists in seven windy States Gujarat, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra,

India is blessed with a 7517 km of coastline, the distance 5423 km belongs to peninsular India and 2904 km to the Andaman Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Island, is beginning to discover offshore wind energy as a premeditated energy resource to mitigate energy crisis as well as to fulfil future energy demands. Coastline of Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Gulf of Khambat in Gujarat have shown a promising potential for the development of offshore wind power. India has an offshore wind energy potential of around 70 GW in parts along the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

The major challenges in India to develop offshore wind power are high capital cost, the data required for the calculation of wind potential of suitable sites is not available, unavailability of bathymetric data, regulatory and policy framework.