The Hindu Business Line : TN windmills asked to back down turbines

Wind power generators in Tamil Nadu feeding power to the State grid are facing problems once again, with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board asking them to back down the turbines. This move has come at a time when the wind speed is at its highest in the State, according to sources in the wind power industry.

The sources say that the electricity board has resorted to this move because of peak generation from thermal stations, resulting in high frequency in the grid. The wind power industry faced a similar problem last year too during the peak season when the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board asked them to back down their machines due to evacuation problems.

Tamil Nadu has an installed capacity of 2,930 MW of wind power, of which 65 per cent is used for captive consumption and the remaining is sold to the State grid. According to the sources, the May-September period is most conducive for generating wind power because wind speeds touch 11 to 20 m a second.

Last year, the windmill owners represented to the TNEB after the severe evacuation problem they faced. The electricity board promised to improve evacuation infrastructure and also permit new sub stations.

In the last three to four days, according to the sources, TNEB has asked wind power generators to shut down their turbines for periods ranging from nine hours to 20 hours a day. The Tirunelveli region and Coimbatore district are major wind energy producing centres in Tamil Nadu.

This move comes even as the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission had reiterated, in a recent order, that wind power (along with other infirm power or non-conventional energy) would come under the "must run" category and would be outside the purview of merit order despatch.

Wind energy representatives felt that the TNEB could back down its thermal stations during this period as they are assured of good quality power from the windmills in the State. The TNEB could also sell this power to power-deficit States such as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

According to sources in the know, the TNEB asked the wind power generators to shut down their turbines when the frequency exceeded 50 cycles due to an overall increase in generation.

The Indian Wind Power Association, a representative body of those who have invested in wind power and turbine manufacturers, has asked the State Government and the TNEB to ensure that the wind turbines operated at their maximum capacity now. This would not only provide green power to the State and help it conserve coal (if thermal stations are backed down), but also help those who have invested in wind power to repay their bank loans.

More Stories on : Non-conventional Energy | Tamil Nadu

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