The Hindu : `High capacity turbines needed to tap wind energy potential'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`High capacity turbines needed to tap wind energy potential'

By Our Special Correspondent

MADURAI, FEB. 28. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board is taking steps to create necessary power evacuation facilities for the existing and prospective windmill developers by establishing new, dedicated sub-stations, providing additional transformers and enhancing existing capacity of transformers.

Dedicated sub-stations are coming up at Kannanallur, Anna Nagar and Maharajapuram in Tirunelveli district and Pudupalayam in Coimbatore district, according to its Chairman, T. S. Sridhar.

Inaugurating a business meet on `Opportunities for investment in wind mills in other potential areas', organised by the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency, here today, Mr. Sridhar said under the 10th Plan, a target of 300 MW had been fixed for wind power projects. In 2002-03, an additional capacity of 133 MW was realised while the current year's achievement was expected to cross 300 MW.

The TNEB Chairman said Tamil Nadu had a comfortable power position, with an installed capacity of 9052 MW. The peak hour demand was around 7000 MW and the peak consumption so far had reached 142 million units.

In addition to the installed capacity, 1155 MW was tapped through windmills. Mr. Sridhar pointed out that the State had exploited only 25 per cent of its wind energy potential and underscored the need for higher capacity turbines to tap the full potential of 4160 MW.

The Chairman of Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), K. Allaudin, said the objective of the meet was to encourage tapping of wind power in untapped areas. Tamil Nadu accounted for more than 50 per cent of wind energy generated in the country. Out of the 67 places where wind-monitoring stations were installed in 1985, 40 were found to be suitable for erecting windmills. In 17 places, windmills had been commissioned. The potential areas included Pushpathur in Dindigul district, Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district, Andipatti and Meenakshipuram in Theni district, Ottapidaram, Tuticorin, Vagaikulam and Onamkulam in Tuticorin district and Achankuttam, Azhagiyapandiapuram, Ayikudi, Mangalapuram, Uvari, Puliyankulam and Thazhayuthu in Tirunelveli district.

The Madurai Collector, B. Chandra Mohan, cautioned that with rapid industrialisation, the country would face a power crisis if the demand and supply gap was not bridged. Wind source was a cost-effective, safe, cheap and eco-friendly form of energy.

Atul Anand, Theni Collector, gave an assurance to the entrepreneurs to provide all help in installation of windmills at Andipatti and Meenakshipuram.

The Madurai Spinners' Association president, N. A. K. Gopalakrishna Raja, appealed to the TNEB to amend its rules to enable tapping of wind energy through a cluster approach. The low-tension users should be allowed to utilise wind energy.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Wind Energy Technology, M. P. Ramesh, recalled how Tamil Nadu had not looked back after the installation of the first windmill in Tuticorin district in 1984-85. Later, talking to newspersons, Mr. Sridhar said the TNEB had embarked on a plan to minimise transmission loss further through a revamp of the distribution system.

The line loss, which stood at 14 to 16 per cent, was the lowest in the country as per a study by the World Bank. The TNEB was now keen to stabilise its existing generation capacity by further minimising the line loss. A plan had been drawn up to have more sub-stations, wherever required. Sixteen vigilance teams and two flying squads were working to monitor power theft. Call centres, to enable consumers register complaints would soon be opened in Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Madurai. The TNEB was also looking into the possibility of having web-based remittance of power dues.

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