Tamil Nadu is a world leader when it comes to renewable energy, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said, ranking the state above Sweden and Denmark that are considered champions of green electricity.
“Wind turbines in Tamil Nadu have a combined installed capacity of 7.9 gigawatts (GW). This puts it ahead of many countries regarded as champions of green power,” the world body said.
“Sweden is aiming to become one of the first countries to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. But it has a wind-power capacity of 6.7GW, a tenth less than Tamil Nadu,” said the WEF report on renewable energy.
“Denmark, considered by many as the birthplace of the modern wind energy industry, has a wind-power capacity of 5.5GW. In fact, figures from the Global Wind Energy Council show that there are only five European nations plus China, the US, Canada and Brazil that had larger installed wind-power capacities than Tamil Nadu,” said the report.
The state’s wind energy is seasonal and it starts around May 15 and lasts till September 15. Tamil Nadu, as of now, has only onshore wind mills, and in the coming years, offshore wind mills are likely to generate power round-the-clock.
Tamil Nadu also ranks on top for rooftop solar energy and third for overall solar capacity, including large-scale solar farms.
An analysis by the Institute For Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reveals that as a proportion of its overall electricity generating capacity, Tamil Nadu’s renewable energy puts it among the best countries and states in the world.
Renewables currently account for 16% of Tamil Nadu’s electricity generation, its second largest source of energy after coal. More than two-thirds of this renewable electricity comes from wind turbines, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) predicts that Tamil Nadu could nearly double its wind-power capacity to 15GW by 2027.
Meanwhile, solar power capacity in the state is predicted by the IEEFA to increase more than six-fold over the same period, from the current 1.7GW to 12GW from solar farms and 1.5GW from rooftop solar panels by 2027. This rise in renewable energy is predicted to coincide with a slide in coal’s share in Tamil Nadu’s electricity mix, from 69% in 2017 to 42% 10 years later.
The WEF report adds that India is on track to double its wind capacity. While Tamil Nadu may currently lead the way on renewable energy, other parts of India are poised to catch up and even overtake the southern state.
Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan are already ahead of Tamil Nadu when it comes to solar-power generation, said the report.
According to the World Resources Institute, Indian states that added more wind-power capacity than Tamil Nadu last year are — Andhra Pradesh (2.2GW); Gujarat (1.3GW); Karnataka (882MW); Madhya Pradesh (357MW); and Rajasthan (888MW).
Wind energy is India’s biggest source of renewable electricity by far, accounting for nearly three times as much generating capacity as solar, said the report.
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