The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India joined the worldwide celebrations of 15th June as Global Wind Day, through the organization of a day-long event in New Delhi today, 15th June, 2023. Held with an intent to celebrate the success so far and discuss the potential ways forward for accelerating wind energy adoption in India, the event had the central theme of “Pawan – Urja: Powering the Future of India”. The celebration featured in-depth discussions on Wind Energy Progress in India, Offshore Wind development, Strengthening of wind energy manufacturing ecosystem and Green Finance for Wind Energy.
Delivering the keynote address, Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Bhupinder Singh Bhalla emphasized that the Government of India is fully committed to achieve the target of 500 GW renewable energy capacity by the year 2030. He applauded the contribution of all states with wind potential, in the development of wind energy sector.
The Secretary congratulated the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for their achievements during the financial year 2022-‘23. Rajasthan was felicitated for achieving the highest wind capacity addition, Gujarat for achieving the highest wind capacity addition through open access and Tamil Nadu for initiating repowering of wind turbines.
The event also witnessed the launch of Wind Atlas at 150 meter above ground level, prepared by National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE). The onshore wind potential of the country is now estimated at 1,164 GW at 150 meter above ground level.
The event had the active participation of central and state government authorities, wind turbine manufacturers and developers, international and domestic financial institutions, Central Public Sector Enterprises, academia, think-tanks, and other key stakeholders.
The celebration was organized in collaboration with the National Institute of Wind Energy, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, Indian Wind Power Association, and Wind Independent Power Producers Association.
India has made great strides in the generation of wind energy over the years, and it now ranks fourth in wind power capacity in the world. Wind energy is crucial to India’s efforts to achieve its goal of having 50% of its electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030 and to achieve Net Zero by 2070. India has significant potential for both onshore and offshore wind energy production. With the continuous efforts from the government, the country has developed around 15 GW of domestic wind manufacturing capacity, making it Aatma Nirbhar.