Power
Wind Power Potential
Ushdev's foray into wind power energy has not been by default but by design. A forward looking company, UIL had foreseen the country's inherent strength in generating wind power capacity that may exceed even Indian policy makers expectations. The company's vision proved to be on the right track when a study conducted by the Global World Energy Council forecasted that India can build wind power plants that may be able to generate almost five times more than the government's estimate by 2030.
Wind energy capacity can climb to as much as 231,000 megawatts in
India, compared with the government's modest forecast of 48,000
megawatts from 216 potential sites, according to the study, produced
in partnership with the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association.
The Government's estimate may be on the conservative side and 'technological improvements and the exploitation of a vast offshore wind resource could significantly increase this potential," the study said. 'One cannot play down the 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) of coastline.
India a key growth factor
A late entrant in the wind power energy, India has been significantly catching up with the rest of the world,UIL's foray has, actually been timely in the segment as India's march itself can be traced to 1990s. India has the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. In 2009-10 India's growth rate has been highest among the other top four countries, leaving the big players like Denmark and the US feel envy. As of 31 March 2011 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 14158 mw. Wind power accounts for 6% of India's total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the country's power.
A late entrant in the wind power energy, India has been significantly catching up with the rest of the world,UIL's foray has, actually been timely in the segment as India's march itself can be traced to 1990s. India has the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. In 2009-10 India's growth rate has been highest among the other top four countries, leaving the big players like Denmark and the US feel envy. As of 31 March 2011 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 14158 mw. Wind power accounts for 6% of India's total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the country's power.
India is a key market for the wind industry, presenting substantial
opportunities for both the international and domestic players. In
2010, the Indian wind sector experienced its strongest annual growth
ever, with 2.1 GW of new installations. Indian wind energy sector has
an installed capacity of 17173.90 MW (as on June 2010). In terms of
wind power installed capacity, India is ranked 5th in the World. Today
India is a major player in the global wind energy market.
However, the growth potential indicates that India has the inherent capacity to overtake the global market. Indian Wind Energy Association has estimated that with the current level of technology, the 'on-shore' potential for utilization of wind energy for electricity generation is of the order of 65,000 MW. The unexploited resource availability has the potential to sustain the growth of wind energy sector in India in the years to come.
Global Outlook
The significant potential of the wind power energy can be understood by the fact that all wind turbines installed by the end of 2010 worldwide can generate 430 Terawatt hours per annum, more than the total electricity demand of the United Kingdom, the sixth largest economy of the world, and equal to 2.5 % of the global electricity consumption.
The wind sector in 2010 had a turnover of 40 billion Euro and employed 6,70,000 persons worldwide. China became number one in total installed capacity and the center of the international wind industry, and loaded 18,928 Megawatt within one year, accounting for more than 50 % of the world market for new wind turbines.
Germany keeps its number one position in Europe with 27,215 Megawatt, followed by Spain with 20,676 Megawatt. The highest shares of wind power can be found in three European countries: Denmark (21%), Portugal (18%) and Spain (16%). Asia accounted for the largest share of new installations (54.6%), followed by Europe (27%) and North America (16.7%). Latin America (1.2%) and Africa (0.4%) still played only a marginal role in new installations.
However, the growth potential indicates that India has the inherent capacity to overtake the global market. Indian Wind Energy Association has estimated that with the current level of technology, the 'on-shore' potential for utilization of wind energy for electricity generation is of the order of 65,000 MW. The unexploited resource availability has the potential to sustain the growth of wind energy sector in India in the years to come.
Global Outlook
The significant potential of the wind power energy can be understood by the fact that all wind turbines installed by the end of 2010 worldwide can generate 430 Terawatt hours per annum, more than the total electricity demand of the United Kingdom, the sixth largest economy of the world, and equal to 2.5 % of the global electricity consumption.
The wind sector in 2010 had a turnover of 40 billion Euro and employed 6,70,000 persons worldwide. China became number one in total installed capacity and the center of the international wind industry, and loaded 18,928 Megawatt within one year, accounting for more than 50 % of the world market for new wind turbines.
Germany keeps its number one position in Europe with 27,215 Megawatt, followed by Spain with 20,676 Megawatt. The highest shares of wind power can be found in three European countries: Denmark (21%), Portugal (18%) and Spain (16%). Asia accounted for the largest share of new installations (54.6%), followed by Europe (27%) and North America (16.7%). Latin America (1.2%) and Africa (0.4%) still played only a marginal role in new installations.