CHENNAI: Eager to tap all available sources to generate electricity required to power the country, India is working out initial plans to set up an offshore wind energy plant with the help of Germany, the world leader in renewable energy.
Compared to the windmills based on land, offshore projects are considerably expensive but have the potential to generate more power and for longer duration every year.
Speaking to Express on the sidelines of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association and Germany’s Messe Husum, Director-General of National Institute of Wind Energy S Gomathinayagam said his institute had three-year wind data from the 100-m met mast installed at Dhanushkodi and Gujarat for future offshore wind developments.
The German delegation, led by Minister of Energy, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas Rabert Habeck cautioned about the cost involved in setting up plants. “Offshore wind energy is very expensive, three times as expensive as the onshore plants,” said Habeck.
The investment required to set up an offshore plant is more than Rs 1,500 crore, which would require private capital as well. While agreeing with this, Gomathinayagam noted that the wind speed onshore is about 5 metre per second while the data collected from the mast reveals the offshore speed of wind is 8.65 metre per second, a quite significant increase.
“Also, offshore wind energy plants could be functional for 10 months a year,” he said. In comparison, the onshore units work only five months in a year.
To a query when the plans would materialise, Gomathinayagam pointed out that it took more than a decade and a half for Germany to tap offshore wind energy after generating data. “We may do it in next seven to eight years,” he said.
As the thumb rule goes, it requires about Rs 5-6 crore to generate one megawatt of onshore wind energy. It would cost over Rs 15 crore for producing 1 megawatt from an offshore plant, he said. Hence it is prudent to set up bigger plants, Gomathinayagam said, adding that India is planning to set up a large plant which could require an investment of over Rs 1,500 crore.
Earlier Habeck also highlighted the success of smaller grids in Germany which can evacuate renewable energy in rural areas. “In Germany, the small grids also known as virtual power plants use wind, solar and biogas energies for six lakh homes.”
Sarvesh Kumar, chairman of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, signed the memorandum of agreement with Minister Habeck. The main objective is to support the business ties between India and Germany and to facilitate transfer and utilisation of state-of-the-art technologies.