Wind Power Scenario in India : A Review

As energy consumption rises with increase in population and living standards, the need to expand access to energy in new ways is growing as is the awareness of the environmental costs. This review paper provides a citizen’s view of Wind Energy Generation(WEG) in India, in the backdrop of (a) the ever-rising national demand for primary energy (b) the national electricity policy (c) wind energy policies. Increased recognition of the contribution that renewable energy (RE) can make to energy independence, climate change mitigation, rural development, improved health and lower health costs (linked to air pollution), is shifting RE from the fringe to the mainstream of sustainable development . India has a vast supply of renewable energy resources and it has one of the largest programs in the world for deploying renewable energy products and systems. Indeed, it is the only country in the world to have an exclusive ministry for renewable energy development, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES). Since its formation, the Ministry has launched one of the world’s largest and most ambitious programs on renewable energy. Based on various promotional efforts put in place by MNES, significant progress is being made in power generation from renewable energy sources. The remarkable increase in installed capacity for WEG over the past years has not led to a proportionate increase in the kWh of wind power generated. The unbridled growth in this sector has pitted farmer activists against wind energy companies. Policies of doling out excessive incentives for MW-scale under-utilized wind farms that feed inefficient grids must be reconsidered. The people of India must receive direct tangible benefits from WEG for it to be a truly clean option of green energy for them.