Hyderabad: Renewable wind energy seems to be a long shot for Telangana if it plans to go the Europe way—-which is planning to become the ‘numero-uno’ energy provider by tapping the power of the wind by 2050.
According to a study published in the September installment of Energy Policy and quoted on Stephen Johnson's article on Big Think, the capability to capture and utilise wind energy in Europe has grown to such levels that it can suffice for the entire world. ‘Wind potential could enable Europe to generate 100 times more electricity than it currently does. That’s enough to cover energy demand for the entire world from now until 2050,’ according to the researchers.
However, as it turns out the state is still awaiting an official nod for its renewable energy policy.
“We are yet to get an approval from the government on the draft renewable energy proposal. We have already identified a few areas in the state that are viable for wind energy,” said T Srinivasulu, Project Director, Wind Energy, Telangana New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation Limited.
He further added that there are only four areas in the state which have been marked as viable for wind energy, namely Mehboobnagar, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy, and Medak. “The state has a potential of 4,300 megawatts through wind alone. But it is not possible to trap it all immediately. For wind energy to be generated there must be a sustained wind speed for eight metres per second or higher. But that is not possible, the average wind speed in the state is four metres per second,” he rued.
In India, states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have huge potential for wind energy generation. “Since we are a peninsular country there are a lot of wind currents blowing over the landmass from the seas. So the coastal areas could provide ideal wind supply for power generation,” he said.
However, the capital city of Hyderabad does not show much potential when it comes to wind energy. “There are very few places in the city which can have a wind turbine, for which we would require open land. That is extremely rare in the city,” said Pavan Chandu, a researcher with Telangana New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation Limited.
