India’s wind potential 30 times bigger than estimated
A new study is being greeted excitedly in India as it shows the potential for onshore wind energy in India is up to 30 times greater than previous government estimates.
The study, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, has found that the country’s total wind potential ranges from 2,006 gigawatts (GW) for 80 metre hub heights to 3,121 GW for 120 metre hub heights.
The current government estimate for wind energy is India is 102 GW, which would only be able to provide the nation with up to 8% of its projected electricity demand by 2022 and 5% by 2032. The rise in projected wind power potential is due to better technology, more advanced mapping techniques and a higher than previously thought land availability.
“Given these new estimates, the availability of wind energy can no longer be considered a constraint for wind to play a major role in India’s electricity future,” according to a press release from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “This landmark finding may have significant impact on India’s renewable energy strategy as it attempts to cope with a massive and chronic shortage of electricity.”
Berkeley Lab scientist Amol Phadke, the lead author of the study, said the findings show that wind power is one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources commercially available in the Asian nation.
“The cost of wind power is now comparable to that from imported coal and natural gas-based plants, and wind can play a significant role in cost effectively addressing energy security and environmental concerns,” Phadke was quoted as saying.
The 24-page study found that more than 95% of the nation’s wind energy potential is concentrated in five states in southern and western India – Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Noting that India’s electricity demand is expected to grow rapidly from 813 GWh in 2007-08 to 2,104 GWh in 2020, the study said wind energy is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy available in the nation.
It also said that wind power in India — the world’s largest democracy and, with more than 1.2 billion people, the second most populous nation — “is a very promising additional option to meet electricity shortages, especially in the short to medium term.”
India, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), installed 3,019 MW of new wind power capacity in 2011, bringing its installed total to 16,084 MW.
After China, India had the second highest amount of wind power in Asia by the end of last year and was fifth in the world in terms of cumulative capacity, GWEC statistics show.
Sounds great,
Because our country, Nepal is also located northern part of India. And so on we have also good wind energy resources at 120 meter hub height level.
What is the procedure to look Nepal’s wind energy potential through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California?
Willing to know findings.
Thanks.
Indian Experts work inspires US Govt Lab to revisit assessment of Wind Energy Potential in India
Location: Gurgaon/Berkley
23rd March 2012 To: 23rd March 2012
WWETP Information Bureau
Scientific and research work carried out by Indian wind industry expert, Jami Hossain has inspired scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) (http://www.lbl.gov/) to challenge assessments of the Chennai based government agency, Center for Wind Energy Technology (CWET) on the assessment of the potential for windfarms in India.
Jami Hossain in his paper published in the leading International renewable energy journal, Renewable Energy[i] presented his findings on the assessment for potential for windfarms using Geographical Information System Platform (GIS Platform). In this paper Hossain has pointed out that the potential for wind energy utilization with the prevalent technologies is far in excess of the potential claimed to have been assessed by CWET (initially at 49,000 MW and later at 102,000 MW)[ii] . Hossain assessed the potential at nearly 2000 GW. This has significant policy implications for the country as every unit of electricity generated from wind not only saves precious oil and coal but also prevent emission of CO2 and other gasses that are responsible for global warming.
“We have tried to further refine and improve these figures based on competing uses of land in the country but with the continued improvement in technology, the onshore potential is indeed very high compared to what has been assessed earlier,” says Hossain. According to Hossain the gross under estimation by CWET has prevented the policy makers and the planning bodies in the country such as the planning commission and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in recognizing wind energy as a major and possibly mainstream source of wind energy. With rising oil prices and uncertainties associated as well as major bottlenecks in supply of coal, the findings assume importance from an Energy Security and Global Environmental perspective.
Based on Hossain’s work, scientists at LBNL[iii] have relooked at the potential assessment under a project sponsorship by ClimateWorks Foundation through a contract with the Regulatory Assistance Project. LBNL has come up with a report. “Reassessing Wind Potential Estimates for India: Economic and Policy Implications”. The report revalidates assessment made by Hossain earlier.
“I am very happy now that a US based reputed institute like LBNL has relooked at this assessment and has come up with findings that further revalidate my findings,” says Hossain. Its an irony that the recent Budget announced by Finance Minister had nothing for wind energy while Coal seems to have been exempted from import duty – he added.
Jami Hossain is a leading and acknowledged renewable energy expert and has been consistently working towards promotion of wind energy in India since 1985 when he got involved in setting up the first wind power projects in the country. Hossain is currently Chief Mentor and co-founder at Windforce Mangement Serrvices Pvt Limited (www.windforce-management.com) . He is also Treasurer of World Wind Energy Association (www.wwindea.org) and is on the National and Governing Councils of Indian Wind Power Association (IWPA) (www.windpro.org) and Indian Wind Energy Association (INWEA) (www.inwea.org) .
http://www.wwe-tp.com/newsDetail.php?id=87
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This means the earlier estimates were all wrong. I can understand if there is variation in estimates of two or three times but not 30 times! This implies the present estimates of wind potential or the past estimates, one of them should be absurd. People who conduct such estimates should not escalate the potential to please some but should serve the field with realistic figures.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore (AP),India
Wind Energy Expert
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com