New policy framework to enhance wind energy utilization
Towards better utilization of renewable energy projects in the country, government is coming up with a framework to repower wind farms. “With a view to ensure better capacity utilisation of wind energy projects, Union Power Ministry is developing a framework for repowering wind farms from 200-300 watt units to 2-5 Mega Watt (MW) that are available in the market,” said Piyush Goyal, Minister for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable energy. Goyal informed that government is also under plans to promote use of off-grid power generation in certain villages. “We are creating a framework that whenever the grid reaches there, the off grid guy can supply that power like net metering into the grid, so we are creating that framework to encourage people to go off grid,” said the Minister. The Minister further informed that the government is also working continuously for early resolvation of issues concerning power distribution companies. “Discom resolution is on the cards and we are very confident to have been able to create a sustainable robust framework in consultation with states. We are working relentlessly to fine tune and refine our proposals on that without giving any subsidy again or any grant/additional money (to the States),” the Minister added. Informing that the Ministry, very soon, will be taking the power tariff policy to the cabinet, the Minister said the policy has very exciting features for the renewable energy sector. Ideally now time has come we should move out of the subsidy in order to make the renewable energy sector self-sufficient and self-reliant, the Minister noted. It is noteworthy here that the Union Cabinet had, on Wednesday, approved National Offshore Wind Energy Policy, which is aimed at development of renewable source of energy, including setting up of projects and research in the area. According to the official statements, the preliminary assessments along the 7,600 km long Indian coastline have indicated prospects of development of offshore wind power. And, in this regard, the new policy is expected to provide a level playing field to all investors/beneficiaries, domestic and international and help the country move forward towards attaining energy security.
September 12, 2015 | 2:47pm IST.
to success.