Located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, this 49.5MW wind power project delivers zero-emissions renewable electricity to the Southern regional grid. The project is validated and Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and also resisted with the CDM.
In addition to the emission reduction benefits, the project indirectly improves the overall local air quality as it does not incur the environmental pollution (such as releasing sulphur dioxide) or solid waste problems associated with coal-fired power plants. Unlike coal plants, wind farms also don’t require water during the power generation process.
The project has also contributed to the local economy and livelihood of residents through the creation of jobs - approximately 15 people are employed full time for operational roles while 5-10 work in field security. The planning and commissioning of the wind farm required approximately an additional 50 workers for road and power infrastructure construction, turbine erection and commissioning and managing operations. The project held a stakeholder meeting with local villagers and residents and the survey illustrated that no adverse comments were received.
Vestas – the main contractor of the project in providing the turbines – has undertaken various educational initiatives in nearby towns as part of their CSR programme such as providing school furniture and arranging for inter-school sports and culture programmes.
India in general suffers from severe shortages of electricity generation capacity with nearly 40% of residences in the country without electricity, and per capita electricity use is under 500 kWh per year (154th in the world and compares to nearly 12,000 kWh for the US); blackouts are also common throughout the main cities.
The country has a GDP per capita of $3,700 per year (2011), ranking it 165th in the world, with nearly 30% of the population below the poverty line. India also ranks 134 out of 187 countries globally in terms of Human Development Index – a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living and quality of life.
The country’s rapid population growth has in turn put increasing pressure on growing its electricity generating capacity with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 1971 to 2011 at a 6.9% - still traditional thermal power plants accounted for the highest growth rate from 2009-2011 at over 11%.3 India generates approximately 70% of its electricity from fossil fuels and ranks fourth in the world in CO2 emissions from energy use.4 India is the third-largest consumer and producer of coal in the world and in 2010, India was also the world’s fifth largest net importer of oil.
Tamil Nadu state has great potential for renewable power, largely due to three prominent passes having high wind potential during the South West Monsoon. The state has the largest installed capacity of grid connected renewable power (90% of which is wind) and has about 40% of the country’s installed wind capacity. However, as the second largest economy among states in India, the total energy demand in Tamil Nadu is increasing exponentially and the state suffers power cuts for more than 11 hours a day (except the capital city of Chennai that only has 2 hours of power cuts a day). The promotion of renewable energy sources has largely been to solve this energy shortage.
Wind is an abundant energy resource which can be used to generate clean electricity through wind turbines. Wind power is produced by transferring the kinetic energy from wind to rotors. The mechanical energy from the wind turbine’s rotating blades then powers an electric generator.
The output of a wind turbine depends on the turbine’s size and the wind’s speed through the rotor blades. These blades range from around 30 to 90 metres in diameter and the supporting towers are roughly the same size in height. The power generated by utility-scale turbines varies from 100 kilowatts to as much as seven megawatts. Larger turbines are grouped together into wind farms, providing bulk power to the electrical grid which is sent through transmission and distribution lines to homes and businesses.