The future for renewables is robust

India has an installed power generation capacity of 225,133MW, of which about 12.2% is fuelled by renewable resources such as wind, sun, biomass and hydro. Experts believe the future of renewables is robust.

As per a report submitted by the International Energy Agency, renewables sector, despite no-so-encouraging economic conditions, is witnessing incredible growth; in fact, the sector is expected to grow by 40% in the next five years, thereby, constituting almost a quarter of the global power mix by 2018.”
Government of India is also considering re-introduction of tax and fiscal incentives to provide relief to the renewable sector, which includes wind power companies and solar power companies. The withdrawal of both the benefits had severely hit the sector.

The reinstatement of these benefits will boost the confidence of the industry players – both equipment makers and power producers - to set-up more wind farms, solar power projects, and, thereby, add to the power generation capacity of the country. At the time when India is going through a deep energy-crisis, renewables can open new doors for the country and its energy-intensive industries.

However, funding is still a concern for many. Only a few private companies have dared to enter the sector on their own. Puneet Dalmia led Dalmia Power is one of the first ones, who’ve set-up both wind farms and solar projects to not only meet their energy requirements, but also to support the state grid.

Wind power isn’t a perfect energy source; but it is the best of all options we have at the moment. Read more.

When we think of wind power, we generally think of those high tech wind farms, where countless turbines with slow spinning blades are set-up in rows to harness the power hidden in the moving air. It’s in this last one decade that many of these farms have sprung up on countless hilltops in the country. However, wind power isn’t new to us; our ancestors used the energy in the wind for ages to propel their boats, grind grains, and pump water.

Today, wind energy is mostly used for electricity generation. It is clean, renewable, and relatively cheap. The power is almost free once the infrastructure is paid for. However, wind is not a perfect energy alternative to fossil fuels; and it has its own set of disadvantages/issues.

The biggest disadvantage of wind power is that wind doesn’t blow consistently or steadily. So, wind power companies have to research for years to determine whether a site is ideal for setting up a wind farm.

It’s true that wind power isn’t a perfect solution for today’s energy driven global economy; however, it’s arguably the best of all options (energy sources) we have available at the moment. It’s only through wind energy that we can reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, and ensure a green future for generations to come.

There is more to wind than you know; find out all that in this post.

So, what is wind? Definition wise, it is merely air in motion. But, if you look a little deeper, you’ll see unlimited potential in this air in motion to help the humankind build a greener tomorrow. We’re talking about green energy; energy that will never run out.

The power in the wind can be turned into electricity, and for that, wind turbines are used by the wind power companies. But, the problem is you can’t put up these turbines everywhere. Sites are chosen after years of analysis. The best sites are the ones, where wind flows without obstructions. The higher you go up in the air, the better it’ll be.

However, to make a wind power project viable, you need to put into a lot of investment. Many do not enter the wind power market only because of the high project costs involved.

It’s also true that wind power can’t solve the energy crisis that the world is going through, however, it certainly can be a valuable resource and cleaner alternative to ensure a greener tomorrow for the coming generations if done on a cost effective and mass scale.

The need of the hour is to understand wind power better, and put up more wind farms to extract the most out of wind. And, for this, private wind power companies have to form partnerships with the central as well as state governments. However, several private players, like Mr. Puneet Dalmia of Dalmia Bharat Power have set up wind farms on their own, which is a big achievement in itself. These companies, however, can do much better if government makes the required changes to the existing policies, and extends financial support to these power projects.