UPSC Mains General Studies Paper – 1 Mains 2022
Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent
UPSC Mains Civil Services IAS Exam Question Paper – 2022
Approach
- Introducing the keyword “Wind Energy” and its possible potential.
- Explore the ideas of the transmission infrastructure required to transport wind energy.
- Describe the reasons why its to explore in the limited scale context of India.
- Accordingly, conclude it.
Introduction
The wind is used to produce electricity using the kinetic energy created by air in motion. Wind turbines or wind energy conversion systems transform this into electrical energy. As of September 2021, India’s installed wind power capacity was over 38 GW, making it the fourth-largest wind power producer in the world.
Body
Potential:
The potential for wind energy in India is immense, and estimates suggest that the country has a potential capacity of up to 302 GW. This potential is spread across various regions, including the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, as well as the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. These regions have a high wind velocity, which makes them suitable for the installation of wind turbines.
- India has the potential of about 60 GW of wind.
- It is quite likely that it would go up substantially because over time some of the old wind power stations that have very low capacity could be replaced with wind turbines that have higher capacity.
- There is another unexplored area, which is in the ocean.
- Across the world, exploration in this area is at a nascent stage.
- On the eastern side of India, there are a lot of cyclones that hit the coast.
- India is a country having around 7,516.6 km long coastline and in all of its exclusive economic zones, it has enough opportunity to harness wind energy.
- It is found by the National Institute for Wind Energy (based in Chennai) that western states have larger potential in terms of a stable, steady, and speedy wind flow.
- In 2022, Tamil Nadu is among the largest producer of wind energy.
Reasons:
Despite the potential, the spatial spread of wind energy in India is limited. One of the main reasons for this limitation is the lack of adequate infrastructure to support wind energy projects. For example, the transmission infrastructure required to transport wind energy from remote locations to the grid is often inadequate or non-existent, which can increase the cost of installation and operation of wind energy projects.
- Wind power must compete with other low-cost energy sources.
- Wind plants can impact local wildlife.
- A wind project may face public opposition if a cultural or historically important land is being occupied by a wind farm.
- Lack of infrastructures and institutions to carry out R&D (Research & Development).
Conclusion
Despite the potential, the spatial spread of wind energy in India is limited. One of the main reasons for this limitation is the lack of adequate infrastructure to support wind energy projects. For example, the transmission infrastructure required to transport wind energy from remote locations to the grid is often inadequate or non-existent, which can increase the cost of installation and operation of wind energy projects.
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