India eyes wind turbine upgrades to boost output, overcome land hurdles
The proposed upgrades could help India overcome land acquisition hurdles, improve wind power generation and address electricity supply gaps after sunset
India is considering replacing older wind turbines with larger, more efficient machines to increase power generation without requiring additional land. According to a preliminary assessment by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, up to 8 gigawatts of capacity using small and outdated turbines could be upgraded with modern units, which could boost capacity at those sites by nearly 50%, as Aditya Pyasi, the association's CEO, told reporters.
Wind power has become crucial for India to meet peak electricity demand after sunset, and while the country's green power capacity has quadrupled since 2014, wind installations have lagged behind solar due to land acquisition and securing right-of-way issues, as well as limited battery storage. This has caused solar curtailments during the day and shortages at night.
Globally, there are 178 gigawatts of wind power projects built before 2010 that could be retrofitted by 2030, and India's renewable energy ministry estimates that around 25 gigawatts of projects, or roughly 40% of the current installed wind capacity, use turbines smaller than 2 megawatts, which could be repowered. Modern turbines can exceed 5 megawatts and stand over 100 meters tall, allowing them to harness stronger and less obstructed winds and generate more electricity per acre of land.
Written by urgent.news from Hindu BusinessLine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
