SUPPORT FOR WIND ( NOT NUCLEAR) IN INDIA

The growth in India is exciting everybody from Tom Friedman to Ernst & Young. But, like China, they’ve got some big decisions to make – and the fate of the world may hang in the balance.

Harness wind energy not nuclear, says Magsaysay awardee
13 November 2007 (The Hindu via One World South Asia)
and
India provides following wind
Joe Leahy, November 8, 2007 (Financial Times)
and
Wind power key to meeting India’s energy needs
4th November 2007 (Indo-Asian News Service via Calcutta News)

WHO
Suzlon Energy (Tulsi Tanti, Chairman/CEO); Sandeep Pandey, social activist/Ramon Magsaysay award winner; K.P. Shivkumaran, wind energy advisor, ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE); Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) (D.V. Giri, chair)

Ernst & Young has been studying India's energy growth. What does that tell you? (click to enlarge)

WHAT
- Suzlon has led India in becoming a world leader in the development of wind energy.
- With India’s leaders pondering incentives, Shivkumaran described enormous growth for wind energy in India and predicted even more to come.
- Pandey called for India’s leaders to develop wind energy, not nuclear energy, to supply the nation’s electricity needs.

WHEN
- Tanti started as a textile manufacturer. When he need more electricity for his factory, he built wind turbines. Eventually, he formed a wind energy company.
- Shivkumaran expects 10,500 megawatts of wind energy capacity will be added during the 2007-2012 five year plan period.

WHERE
- Suzlon is now the 4th largest wind energy company in the world.
- India has the 4th highest potential for generating wind energy in the world (after Germany, the US and the UK)
- The states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have big wind power potential.
- Dr. Pandey’s call was published in India’s “The Hindu.”

India is number four with a bullet. How high can it climb? (click to enlarge)

WHY
- IWTMA estimates are that India can generate 65,000 megawatts of wind energy.
India has 7,230 megawatts of the country's 10,175 megawatts of renewable electricity generation capacity and is adding 1500 megawatts/year.
- Suzlon pioneered a powerful business model for wind development: It secures land, builds turbines and operates the wind farm. Investors with no expertise can support expansion, increasing available capital.
- The federal government has an 80% accelerated depreciation, tax holidays for wind energy projects, soft loans, customs/excise duty exemption and streamlined foreign investment clearance.
- India’s states have supported the development of wind’s potential with Renewable Electricity Standards (RESs) mandating 10% to 15% of state electricity come from renewable sources.
- IWTMA’s Giri estimates that with more production tax credits (PTCs) and carbon credit programs India could grow 3000 to 4000 megawatts of capacity/year.
- The share of wind power in the country's total generation capacity is up to 7.5%. Nuclear supplies 3%.
- Pandey contends that wind, in conjunction with solar, biogas and hydro, can supply India’s needs without more nuclear.
- Pandey also said India’s pending arrangement with the US to develop nuclear energy in India benefits only the US nuclear industry.

How different is the future from the past? (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Arvind Mahajan, national industry director with KPMG: “Wind energy provides a disproportionate share of power in India relative to rest of world at the moment…Suzlon have done a fairly good job in creating the infrastructure that has facilitated the growth of wind energy in India by working with state governments in terms of regulatory regime.”
- Giri: 'In the long term, wind power along with other renewable energy sources has the potential to meet 20 percent of the country's electricity requirement if the government makes changes in the existing policy regime to impose an environment protection cess on fossil fuel-generated power in order to level the playing field for wind power…'