At a glance
Redirecting wind energy in India, by Ruchita Shah. Ember, Oct. 8, 2024.
India has seen a major increase in solar energy capacity over the past decade, but this report from independent global energy think tank Ember calls for a greater focus on wind energy deployment to improve energy reliability and diversification. While solar power is growing in its ability to meet daytime energy demand, the use of clean energy in India drops significantly after sundown. This allows thermal power produced by the combustion of fossil fuels to continue to dominate, providing 80 per cent of India’s electricity. The report shows how solar and wind power, while both intermittent energy sources, can work together to ensure that a renewable source of energy fills the gap during non-solar hours instead. It says that meeting India’s 2022 wind target of 60 gigawatts (GW) could have satisfied up to 14.5 per cent of electricity demand during non-solar hours. The report says India needs to increase its wind deployment by 22 per cent every year to meet the target in its National Electricity Plan (NEP14) of 122 GW wind capacity by 2032.
Organizations
Topics
Key findings
- Thermal power dominance: Thermal power supplies 80 per cent of India’s electricity during non-solar hours (5 p.m. to 7 a.m.), underscoring the need for alternative energy sources such as wind.
- Ambitious wind capacity goals: By 2030, 21 Indian states plan to contract over 100 GW of wind energy, including regions with previously limited wind potential.
- Impact of meeting 2022 wind targets: Achieving the 2022 target of 60 GW in wind energy could have satisfied up to 14.5 per cent of non-solar electricity demand.
- Need for capacity tripling by 2032: Meeting the National Electricity Plan (NEP14) wind-capacity target of 122 GW by 2032 — triple the current capacity — will require an annual growth rate of 22 per cent.
- Cost benefits of wind-solar hybrids: Wind-solar hybrid projects yield lower tariffs compared to standalone wind, enhancing efficiency and reducing overall costs.
- Job creation potential in wind sector: India’s wind sector is projected to create up to six times more jobs by 2030, significantly contributing to green job growth and economic development.
Take a look
Bigger picture
By expanding its capacity to generate electricity from wind, India could reduce its reliance on fossil fuels between sunset and sunrise, as well as energy storage requirements. This could also create economic opportunities, including jobs, through hybrid wind-solar projects that optimize infrastructure and keep costs down. This dual approach supports India’s national climate and electrification goal. It could also be a model for other economies in Southeast Asia and Africa, where increasing renewable energy capacity is key to meeting rising demand for electricity without also increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Meeting the NEP14 targets demands 75 GW in new wind capacity by 2032. To help India get there, the report recommends that central and state governments in India collaborate more closely to accelerate wind energy development, supported by stronger policy implementation. It also calls for ways to address challenges in India that are common to renewable energy development efforts around the world, such as streamlining project approvals, improving grid connectivity and setting up public-private partnerships to help spur investment.
Challenges and opportunities
Key barriers to expanding wind energy in India:
- Land acquisition and grid connectivity issues: Slow land acquisition processes and inadequate grid infrastructure delay wind project implementation. Policymakers should digitize land records and streamline acquisition procedures while ensuring grid expansion aligns with renewable capacity growth.
- Policy inconsistencies and auction delays: Frequent changes in auction mechanisms and delays hinder wind energy deployment. Central and state governments must establish a predictable auction process and align policy frameworks to ensure timely wind energy development.
- High costs of energy storage solutions: The high costs of storage solutions, such as batteries, challenge the economic viability of wind energy compared to thermal power. Public and private sectors should invest in R&D to reduce storage costs while promoting hybrid solutions like wind-solar combinations that cut storage needs.
- Limited state-level targets and enforcement of renewable mandates: Some states lack specific wind capacity targets, leading to non-compliance with Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs). Establishing clear state-level wind capacity targets and enforcing strict compliance with RPOs, including penalties for non-compliance, will ensure consistent progress.
- Transmission bottlenecks for wind power exports: Insufficient transmission networks hinder states with excess wind capacity from exporting surplus power. Investment in interstate transmission infrastructure is essential to facilitate renewable power flow across regions and enhance grid reliability.
- Offshore wind development complexities: Logistical challenges, high upfront costs, and slow development timelines impede offshore wind projects. Continued government support through viability gap funding and policy incentives is necessary for long-term offshore wind viability.
To address these challenges, the report recommends:
- Repowering older wind farms: Upgrading outdated wind farms with newer turbines can significantly boost energy output without requiring additional land. Central and state governments should promote repowering policies by offering incentives for upgrading old turbines to enhance efficiency.
- Wind-solar hybrid projects for cost efficiency: Combining wind and solar power improves capacity utilization and lowers tariffs compared to standalone projects. Developers should prioritize hybrid configurations while policymakers provide guidelines and incentives to support these initiatives.
- Collaboration between central and state governments: Effective co-ordination is crucial to avoid delays in project implementation, particularly regarding land access and grid connectivity. Regular communication and collaborative planning between central and state agencies are necessary to ensure timely wind capacity growth.
- Leveraging India’s manufacturing capabilities: India’s established wind turbine manufacturing base presents opportunities for exports and job creation in the renewable sector. Industries should scale up manufacturing capacity while policymakers offer export incentives to position India as a leader in wind energy manufacturing.
- Strengthening renewable purchase obligations (RPOs): Stricter enforcement of RPOs at both central and state levels would drive investment in wind power. Governments should impose penalties for non-compliance with RPO mandates to reinforce commitment to renewable energy adoption.
- Encouraging public-private partnerships: Offshore wind has vast potential but requires significant investment and expertise. Policymakers should promote public-private partnerships to de-risk offshore projects, attract investment, and accelerate deployment of coastal wind farms.
In their own words
By harnessing the complementarity of wind and solar, India can achieve a more reliable and stable renewable energy supply throughout the day, reducing the need for thermal power during non-solar hours.
Redirecting wind energy in India, by Ruchita Shah, Ember, Oct. 8, 2024.
Final thoughts
The report argues that the challenge of ensuring reliable sources of electricity in India during non-solar hours could become a “key bottleneck” in India’s energy transition, so it is important to support the growth of wind capacity as quickly as possible instead of “locking in resources” on using fossil fuels to fill the gap with thermal power. The report could have more deeply explored the largely untapped potential of offshore wind along India’s extensive coastline as a way to accelerate this development, as well as examined the need to create a circular economy for old wind turbines as a way to mitigate both supply-chain and environmental concerns.
Tripling wind capacity and leveraging wind-solar hybrid projects in India would also showcase the feasibility of large-scale renewable deployment in emerging economies, including how to overcome risks linked to the intermittent nature of both wind and solar. Success would create economic benefits for India and given its population of 1.4 billion, create global impacts too.
Download the full report originally published by Ember on Oct. 8, 2024.
