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The competition for wind is solar, said Rajesh Lakhoni, Principal Secretary, Energy, Government of Tamil Nadu, today.
Delivering the Special Address at the 4th International Wind Conference and Exhibition now under way at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex Lakhoni told the participants that solar, due to its inherent advantages of being available all round the year (though only for 8 to 10 hours a day), involves no distribution cost (as it is available near the load centre), falling cost - is emerging a competitor to wind energy.
Energy-intensive industries should therefore look at wind-solar hybrid, so they can hedge the cost over a period. "The generators should see how a synergy between wind and solar can be brought about as that is the way to go," the Energy Secretary said, reiterating the State Government's support for wind energy.
Incentivising wind, not the way
States are competing with one another and incentivising wind promotion. This would not be a sustainable proposition, as absorption and management of wind is crucial, he said and urged the IWPA to take up the issue with the Centre and stress the need for a uniform policy across the country on windmill erection.
Hailing the State's position he said "issues are there and we are working with the Centre on Grid Code Amendment so wind absorption can be incentivised," and urged the members of IWPA (Indian Wind Power Association) to lobby for inter-state incentivisation.
Asserting that the power situation in the State is much better at present than the past year, he said that the Government's endeavour is to absorb as much wind as possible within the constraints.
"Things are not rosy though" Lakhoni said, highlighting the huge variation in wind and the consequent difficulty in absorption and management.
Citing the management and absorbing capacity of wind in Germany and China (which has 4 times more capacity than India) he said "we have to learn from them, work out ways of balancing and managing wind. The way forward is to push wind as a national resource and its management, at a national level. The IWPA should work on this."
Hailing the efforts on the forecasting front, he urged all wind generators to make a serious attempt to forecast.
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