Consumption of energy from renewable sources was high in the State on Friday-Saturday, according to K. Kasthurirangaian, chairman of Indian Wind Power Association.
Almost 119 million units of electricity consumed from Friday to Saturday morning were generated from wind mills. Of the total installed capacity of 8,618 MW, 4,956 MW of wind energy was generated. Of the 5,583 MW of solar energy installed, 371 MW was solar energy generated (17.7 million units of consumption) and 21.5 million units came from hydro projects.
Mr. Kasthurirangaian said the winds are good except during the rains and the evacuation is also high. “There are no grid drops. There are only line failures due to overloading. The high evacuation seen this season will attract more investments to wind energy in the State,” he said.
According to A.D. Thirumoorthy, member of the State-level Renewable Energy Committee, States such as Karnataka have over 90 % of the electricity consumption coming from renewable sources. In Tamil Nadu, it was over 50 % on Friday-Saturday, which was the highest in the recent weeks.
Hydel power is consumed mainly during peak hours and in a move to give thrust to solar energy consumption, three-phase supply is given for agricultural connections in the morning hours instead of night hours. Wind energy evacuation has been high this season. “Renewable energy now has a value. In three to four years, energy storage will see a boom. Then renewable energy can be generated and stored. This will be a major advantage and will be cost effective too,” he said.
