<p>There is good news for India in a recent study of the reputed US-based Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which has placed the country’s onshore wind energy potential far more than earlier estimates made officially and unofficially in the country or abroad. The current assessment is that India can produce 102 gigawatts of electricity from wind. But according to the new study this is a gross underestimate and the country has the potential for an output 20-30 times more than this, which amounts to about two million megawatt (MW). Even after conceding a sceptical margin or errors in assumptions, this is huge. The study was done most scientifically using GIS data and land use patterns and the results have been endorsed by the Centre for Wind Technology, an autonomous institution under the ministry of new and renewable energy.<br /><br />The earlier estimates were based on the assumption that only 2 per cent land was available for wind energy development but the study has found that the actual availability is more than twice this. Taller and more technologically advanced windmills can also increase the output. India has a long coastline suitable for wind energy production but the short supply of land was constraint in developing the potential. The present installed wind power capacity is a measly 16,000 MW. Last year India added only 3,000 MW of wind power while the corresponding figure in China was 18,000 MW. Wind power has much to recommend itself compared to even other renewable sources. The current emphasis is on solar power in which also India is richly endowed. But wind power is much cheaper and demands less land for development. Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy globally with an annual growth of over 27 per cent. It is environment-friendly and does not give rise to fears like those associated with nuclear energy.<br /><br />While the country is planning big on the nuclear energy front and taking initiatives to develop alternative sources of energy, the unrealised and underestimated potential of wind energy demands greater attention. Apart from the southern and western states which can turn into hubs for wind energy generation, the windy desert areas are also considered to have potential to tap this source. With technology being refined continuously even the latest estimates can be surpassed in future if there is a sustained and determined programme to develop wind power.</p>
<p>There is good news for India in a recent study of the reputed US-based Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which has placed the country’s onshore wind energy potential far more than earlier estimates made officially and unofficially in the country or abroad. The current assessment is that India can produce 102 gigawatts of electricity from wind. But according to the new study this is a gross underestimate and the country has the potential for an output 20-30 times more than this, which amounts to about two million megawatt (MW). Even after conceding a sceptical margin or errors in assumptions, this is huge. The study was done most scientifically using GIS data and land use patterns and the results have been endorsed by the Centre for Wind Technology, an autonomous institution under the ministry of new and renewable energy.<br /><br />The earlier estimates were based on the assumption that only 2 per cent land was available for wind energy development but the study has found that the actual availability is more than twice this. Taller and more technologically advanced windmills can also increase the output. India has a long coastline suitable for wind energy production but the short supply of land was constraint in developing the potential. The present installed wind power capacity is a measly 16,000 MW. Last year India added only 3,000 MW of wind power while the corresponding figure in China was 18,000 MW. Wind power has much to recommend itself compared to even other renewable sources. The current emphasis is on solar power in which also India is richly endowed. But wind power is much cheaper and demands less land for development. Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy globally with an annual growth of over 27 per cent. It is environment-friendly and does not give rise to fears like those associated with nuclear energy.<br /><br />While the country is planning big on the nuclear energy front and taking initiatives to develop alternative sources of energy, the unrealised and underestimated potential of wind energy demands greater attention. Apart from the southern and western states which can turn into hubs for wind energy generation, the windy desert areas are also considered to have potential to tap this source. With technology being refined continuously even the latest estimates can be surpassed in future if there is a sustained and determined programme to develop wind power.</p>