Indian energy set for winds of change
Early tests of wind power promising as govt aims to expand green energy mix
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NEW DELHI - Towering over the waves of the Bay of Bengal, their blades whipping through the wind, hundreds of turbines dot the scenic vista along India's southern coast, the country's wind-power capital.
The turbines - each almost the height of a 20-storey building - produce enough electricity to meet the needs of about half a million homes each year, highlighting the potential of a freely available resource in the energy-hungry country.
Here, along a 120km stretch in the state of Tamil Nadu, the windmills generate more than 3,000MW of power, almost 1,000MW more than what a nearby nuclear power plant will produce when ready.
Helped by years of tax incentives for renewable energy, India is now the world's fourth-largest wind-power market, although the bulk of the country's energy still comes from coal and oil.
Background story
MANY ADVANTAGES
There is no reason we should not see a revival in growth in wind with proper planning even without incentives. Wind's advantages are too many to ignore it as a source of energy.
- Dr Prodipto Ghosh of The Energy and Resources Institute