Home ArticlesRenewable Energy	India's Wind Energy Potential 30 Times Greater Than Believed, Study says
India's Wind Energy Potential 30 Times Greater Than Believed, Study says
written by Yale Environment 360 March 23, 2012
A new report says that the wind energy potential in India may be 30 times greater than previous government estimates, a finding that the authors say could provide a critical solution for a country facing chronic electricity shortages.
In an analysis of land actually suitable to wind power development, researchers from the U.S. Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found a potential for 2,006 megawatts of energy with the deployment of 80-meter (262 feet) turbines and 3,121 gigawatts using 120-meter (393 feet) turbines.
The Indian government had previously estimated that the nation's on-land wind energy potential was 102 gigawatts. Improved turbine efficiency and the inclusion of a wider area of land suitable for wind energy development contributed to the significantly higher estimates.
"The main importance of this study, why it's groundbreaking, is that wind is one of the most cost-effective and mature renewable energy sources commercially available in India, with an installed capacity of 15 gigawatts and rising rapidly," said Amol Phadke, lead author of the report.
Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.
electricity shortagesIndiaRenewable Energyturbine efficiencyWindwind power
Yale Environment 360 is an online magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting and debate on global environmental issues. We feature original articles by scientists, journalists, environmentalists, academics, policy makers, and business people, as well as multimedia content and a daily digest of major environmental news. Yale Environment 360 is published by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Yale University. We are funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The opinions and views expressed in Yale Environment 360 are those of the authors and not of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies or of Yale University.
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