Cement, Energy & Environment

Manufacturing segment The wind turbine manufacturing segment in India has grown on the back of a favourable policy framework, low manpower cost, raw material availability, and vast market potential. The presence of a number of wind turbine generator (WTG) manufacturers, including international companies like Vestas, Enercon, GE, Goldwind, Sinovel Games etc. and emergence of domestic wind turbine manufacturers such as Suzlon and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd have helped accelerate growth of the wind sector. Currently, 18 manufacturers in India have a manufacturing capacity of 10,000 MW. Traditionally, the manufacturers depend on import of certain critical components for the turbines. However, today almost 80 per cent of the components are being sourced locally. This has created employment potential in these industries. Many of the established component manufacturers like Bonfiglioli, SKF, LM Glassfibre etc. have set up manufacturing facilities in ln~ia . Besides manufacturers like Enercon, RRB, Suzlon and Leitner Shriram, Win Wind has also set up a blade manufacturing facility in India. Wind turbine makers started manufacturing turbines of 55 kW size with a smaller rotor diameter and having a hub height of 30m. Some of these turbines still occupy the class I sites and have been functioning well. Since then, a lot of developments have taken place and a wide variety of models have come into the market. The average size of a turbine installed till 2002 was only 553 kW and the average size of cumulative installation was only 300 kW. Various types of gene~ators are manufactured in India. Initially, the turbines were mostly the induction generator type with one manufacturer offering the synchronous type. Subsequently, opti– slip induction generators, doubly-fed induction generators and a hybrid model with a single-stage gear box integrated with a synchronous generator were introduced . Initially, the installation of turbines started with passive sta ll turbines with squirrel cage induction generator (SIG). Subsequently, active stall and pitching of the rotor blades with SIGs was introduced. These new turbine designs are well-suited for low wind conditions of the country and the increased PLF of these turbines further confirms the fact. The Indian manufacturers have ramped up their production capacity over a period of time . Besides meeting the domestic demand, some manufacturers have also started exporting turbines. The wind turbines manufactured in India The average size of a wind turbine has increased from 0.77 MW in 2004 to 1MW in 2009 and the MW-class turbines now comprises of over half of the riew wind power capacity installed in the country. have been exported to countries like Thailand, Turkey, Estonia, Netherlands, the UK, USA and Sri Lanka . According to the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE), the annual wind turbine manufacturing capacity in India is likely to exceed 17,000 MW by 2013. The support schemes for wind energy provided for at the Central and State government are as follows: Generation-based Incentive (GBI): Initially implemented in June 2008 and then re-launched in December 2009 by the Union government for grid– connected wind power projects, under the scheme for wind power, a GBI @ Rs. 0.50 per unit of electricity fed into the grid is provided for a period not less than 4 years and a maximum period of 10 years with a cap of Rs. 62 lakhs per MW. The scheme was in parallel with accelerated depreciation but on a mutually exclusive manner. The total disbursement in a year should not exceed one fourth of the maximum limit of the incentive i.e. Rs. 15.5 lakhs per MW during the first four years. The scheme includes captive wind power projects , but excludes third party sale. There is no minimum capacity fixed under the scheme. The scheme is applicable for the projects commissioned on/after 17.12.2009. Eligibility criteria are that projects should not avail accelerated depreciation and should sell the electricity to grid at a tariff fixed by SERC/ state govt. The projects have to register on-line with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). At present, continuation of the generation based incentive is under consideration by the Union government and may be continued beyond the 11 th Plan period. This scheme expired on 31 51 March, 2012 and it is likely to be announced with some modification by MNRE. There is a need for an early announcement since wind capacity addition has fallen significantly during the current year. Accelerated Depreciation (AD): The main driving force and the real incentive for development of wind sector has been the provision for accelerated depreciation of 80 per cent, an incentive also 28 r I