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Power-packed wind turbines

Powered by wind

Power is the key to a thriving economy. For any sort of industrial and commercial development, power is a vital input. A large percentage of India’s power generation is still monsoon-dependent. Also, in the absence of significant renewable energy sources, the gap between demand and supply is wide. It is getting more difficult to create a favourable industrial climate with clean, efficient and dependable power.

This apart, it is difficult and expensive to evacuate power from distant plants to industrial belts. Many States buy power from other States. The transmission losses are considerable and a drain on the exchequer. Also, the quality of power distributed later is not up to standards. Globally today, power, water and infrastructure are crucial to attract multi-nationals to set up establishments in any city.This being the case, it is vital to dip into alternate sources of energy to augment growing demand.

“One potential source in India is energy from wind turbines. Wind is a clean, inexhaustible, indigenous energy resource that can generate enough electricity to power millions of homes and businesses. Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing forms of electricity generation in the world,” opines Ramakumar Purshotham, Associate Vice President, Energy Upstream, Enzen Global Solutions, an energy and environment consulting firm.

Windmills at one time were used as farm equipment. They were used in large farms as grinding machines. They were also used as pumping systems for irrigation. The pressure created was harnessed to force water through streams in the farm. After the invention of turbines, windmills came to be used to generate power. A generator located in the windmill generates power when the blades of the windmill are turned by wind.Today, the windmill’s modern equivalent — a wind turbine — can use the wind’s energy to generate electricity.

“The technology used is very simple and can be exported to any part of the country, urban or rural. The turbines are mounted on tall towers, at least 150 feet tall. They harness wind energy using their blades that turn under wind pressure. This turning spins a generator connected that then generates power,” explains Ramakumar.

“Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications or they can be connected to a utility power grid. For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of wind turbines are usually concentrated together to form a wind farm.

Several power intensive companies augment their requirement from their own wind farms to a good extent. Technology is also being developed to store wind power as hydrogen which can then be used to power fuel cells in power stations and in vehicles,” he adds.

Wind turbines have proved to be successful sources of energy in other parts of the world. Governments abroad have invested a lot of money in research and development of this technology. But the only problem with this form of power is that it takes a continuous windy condition to make it feasible. If the wind stops blowing, the power generation too stops. It is therefore not feasible in applications that need uninterrupted power supply. However, India is known for its strong wind currents right through the year. Be it the hills or plains, the climatic conditions make it possible to tap wind turbine power here. While they may not directly contribute to the grids supplying to the industrial belts, they can contribute by catering to some needs such as irrigation and take a bit of pressure off the grids.

Also, in large township developments and farms, wind turbines can be used as an alternate source that can help cut power bills, and more significantly, ease pressure on grids at peak times. Moreover, power generated through wind turbines is clean, as they don’t consume fossil fuels or leave behind toxic wastes.

“Whether it is feasible or not in an urban location, there is no denying the fact that in hilly and windy terrains they can play a vital role in bringing more power to the people there. With the sort of pressure on grids today and increasing fossil fuel costs, any source is worth exploring and wind turbine is one such,” concludes Ramakumar.

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