Wind Power Energy Project

At Gautam Enterprises, we develop, build, own, operate, and maintain utility-scale grid-connected renewable farm projects, generating revenue through electricity sales to central and state government entities and government-backed corporations. Our approach involves continuously evaluating various regions for wind resource potential. We have installed numerous wind-masts in resource-rich areas to confirm site wind resource potential and enable precise micro-siting.

We develop, build, own, operate and maintain utility scale grid connected renewable farm projects and generate revenue through the sale of electricity to Central and state government entities and government-backed corporations. For wind project development, we continuously evaluate various regions of the country for wind resource potential. We have already installed many wind-mast in resource rich areas of the country, enabling us to confirm the site wind resource potential and allowing micro siting Anything that moves has kinetic energy, and scientists and engineers are using the wind’s kinetic energy to generate electricity. Wind energy, or wind power, is created using a wind turbine, a device that channels the power of the wind to generate electricity.

The wind blows the blades of the turbine, which are attached to a rotor. The rotor then spins a generator to create electricity. There are two types of wind turbines: the horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) and vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs). HAWTs are the most common type of wind turbine. They usually have two or three long, thin blades that look like an airplane propeller. The blades are positioned so that they face directly into the wind. VAWTs have shorter, wider curved blades that resemble the beaters used in an electric mixer.

Small, individual wind turbines can produce 100 kilowatts of power, enough to power a home. Small wind turbines are also used for places like water pumping stations. Slightly larger wind turbines sit on towers that are as tall as 80 meters (260 feet) and have rotor blades that extend approximately 40 meters (130 feet) long. These turbines can generate 1.8 megawatts of power. Even larger wind turbines can be found perched on towers that stand 240 meters (787 feet) tall have rotor blades more than 162 meters (531 feet) long. These large turbines can generate anywhere from 4.8 to 9.5 megawatts of power.

Once the electricity is generated, it can be used, connected to the electrical grid, or stored for future use. The United States Department of Energy is working with the National Laboratories to develop and improve technologies, such as batteries and pumped-storage hydropower so that they can be used to store excess wind energy. Companies like General Electric install batteries along with their wind turbines so that as the electricity is generated from wind energy, it can be stored right away.

According to the India Geological Survey, there are 57,000 wind turbines in the India, both on land and offshore. Wind turbines can be standalone structures, or they can be clustered together in what is known as a wind farm. While one turbine can generate enough electricity to support the energy needs of a single home, a wind farm can generate far more electricity, enough to power thousands of homes. Wind farms are usually located on top of a mountain or in an otherwise windy place in order to take advantage of natural winds.

The largest offshore wind farm in the world is called the Walney Extension. This wind farm is located in the Irish Sea approximately 19 kilometers (11 miles) west of the northwest coast of England. The Walney Extension covers a massive area of 149 square kilometers (56 square miles), which makes the wind farm bigger than the city of San Francisco, California, or the island of Manhattan in New York. The grid of 87 wind turbines stands 195 meters (640 feet) tall, making these offshore wind turbines some of the largest wind turbines in the world. The Walney Extension has the potential to generate 659 megawatts of power, which is enough to supply 600,000 homes in the United Kingdom with electricity.

Repowering Wind Power Projects

The union government has released a policy for the repowering of wind power projects which states that the repowering potential is nearly 25,406 MW.The policy includes the installation of additional wind turbines, of minimum 3 MW capacity each with hub heights above 120 meters, located in between the existing wind turbines in place of few existing turbines without any effect on one another's performance. Increasing the hub height also enhances the average wind speed captured by the turbine, thanks to the wind profile power law. Spacing between wind turbines in a wind farm can be optimized by yaw control minimizing the wake effect to enhance the capacity density (MW per square km). With the advent of towers made of wood up to 100 meters tall, the top half of the tower can be of light weight wood structure to locate wind turbines above 200 m height.

Additional electricity can be produced by covering the south-facing façade area of the wind turbine towers/masts with solar panels up to the rotor bottom tip height at an economical price.

Offshore Wind Power Plants

India has an offshore wind energy potential of around 70 GW in parts along the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. As of May 2022, there is no offshore wind project under construction or operation. India has announced tentative schedule for calling request for quotation (RfQ) to establish off shore wind power projects.

India started planning in 2010 to enter into offshore wind power, and a 100 MW demonstration plant located off the Gujarat coast began planning in 2014. In 2013, a consortium (instead of a group of organizations), led by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) started project FOWIND (Facilitating Offshore Wind in India) to identify potential zones for development of offshore wind power in India and to stimulate R & D activities in this area. The other consortium partners include the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), DNV GL, the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) and the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE). The consortium was awarded a grant of €4.0 million by the delegation of the European Union to India in 2013 besides co-funding support from GPCL. The project activities will be implemented from December 2013 to March 2018.

The project focuses on the States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for the identification of potential zones for development through techno-commercial analysis and preliminary resource assessment. It will also establish a platform for structural collaboration and knowledge sharing between stakeholders from European Union and India, on offshore wind technology, policy, regulation, industry, and human resource development. FOWIND activities will also help facilitate a platform to stimulate offshore wind-related R&D activities in the country. The consortium published initial pre-feasibility assessment reports for offshore wind farm development in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu on 16 June 2015. In September 2015, India's cabinet has approved the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy. With this, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been authorised as the Nodal Ministry for use of offshore areas within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

India seems pacing up rapidly towards offshore wind energy development as the Nodal Ministry (MNRE) & Nodal Agency (NIWE) calls with the Expression of Interest (EoI) inviting the bidders for development of first 1000MW commercial-scale offshore wind farm in India, near the coast of Gujarat. The EoI published on 16 April 2018, specifies the proposed area identified under the FOWIND & FOWPI study funded by European Union. The proposed location of the offshore wind farm could be 23–40 km off the coast from the Pipavav port, Gulf of Khambhat. The proposed area covers about 400sq km. The wind measurements & other data collection are in progress under the supervision of NIWE.

Wind power generation capacity in India has significantly increased in recent years. As of 31 March 2024, the total installed wind power capacity was 45.887 gigawatts (GW). India has the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly spread across the southern, western, and northwestern states. The onshore wind power potential of India was assessed at 132 GW with minimum 32% CUF at 120 m above the local ground level (agl). Whereas, the estimated potential at minimum 25% CUF is 695 GW at 120 agl.

Wind power costs in India are decreasing rapidly. The levelised tariff of wind power reached a record low of ₹2.43 (2.9¢ US) per kWh (without any direct or indirect subsidies) during auctions for wind projects in December 2017. However, the levelised tariff increased to ₹3.17 (3.8¢ US) per kWh in May 2023. In December 2017, union government announced the applicable guidelines for tariff-based wind power auctions to bring more clarity and minimise the risk to the developers. Wind power installations occupy only 2% of the wind farm area facilitating rest of the area for agriculture, plantations, etc. Wind power plants are also capable to provide fast frequency response in ramping up falling grid frequency.