TIRUPATI: Huge ‘windfall’ is in store for the south-eastern tip of Tamil Nadu and the Kutch region of Gujarat, which are expected to make the most of off-shore wind-farming, an area that is in vogue in several countries, but still “emerging” in India.
Though it entails a three-fold increase in expenditure, compared to installing the same on land, the offshore option will obviate the need to use up precious landholdings and as well cut carbon footprint.
Eight zones have been identified in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, including Kanyakumari, Rameswaram, Toothukudi and Jakhau. As the offshore national policy has been gazette-notified, it is now open for the stakeholders to install wind farms up to 12 nautical miles from the coast.
“Central clearances have been obtained from the Ministries of Defence, Home, External Affairs, Department of Space and also Gujarat Maritime Board, and we are hopeful of making the first installation to measure wind speed by the end of January,” said Rajesh Katyal, Deputy Director-General of National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai. In his talk, Dr. Katyal ruled out potential in the lower peninsular western coast of Goa, Kerala and Karnataka due to the presence of elevated hilly terrain.
Attributing the general indifference on offshore wind farms to high infrastructure cost, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM) head M.V. Ramana Murthy felt that it could indeed be made feasible by cutting installation costs. The high wind speed above the sea, thanks to lesser turbulence, offers a Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 42 to 45 per cent, against the 24 to 26 per cent on land.
In the session on ‘Advanced materials’, Noriyoshi Matsumi, professor at School of Materials Sciences, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, suggested the use of Lithium Secondary batteries, characterised by high voltage and high energy density. He saw its application in mobile phones and automobile sectors. The other advantage is the non-flammable nature of electrolytes.
B.V.R. Chowdary, Executive Director, National University of Singapore, suggested advanced materials such as silicon, functional ceramics and photovoltaic cells to meet present day demands.
