Revised Wind Turbine Models and Manufacturers List From MNRE

Almost three months after the last list, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released the updated list of wind turbine models and manufacturers approved for use in India.

In the fresh list, Regen Powertech Private Limited, which is undergoing a Corporate Insolvency Resolution process has been dropped.

The majority of capacities on offer from the 15 odd manufacturers is 2 MW and above, with the highest for 3.6 MW from Siemens Gamesa.

The lowest capacity turbines are for 225 kW from Southern Wind Farms Limited. Interestingly, there continues to be a gap for really small capacity or micro wind turbines of 1-10 kW range where even SaurEnergy keeps having to field queries from potential customers in India. One hopes the ministry will certify some firm, or firms in the business will actually make the effort to explore the Indian market.

Unlike the approved list for solar module manufacturers, the wind manufacturers and models list has no restrictions on foreign firms, with the majority again being of foreign make. Readers will recall that the AMLL list for solar has practically been used as a non-tariff barrier in India by the ministry to provide protection for domestic manufacturers.

India has a much more developed wind turbines manufacturing ecosystem, with firms like Siemens Gamesa and Suzlon even exporting regularly outside the country. The industry us hopeful of a turn in fortunes starting this year with more hybrid projects expected to be bid out soon. The other big opportunity waiting to be tapped, of repowering  old turbines especially in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, continues to be on hold as policy makers struggle to get their act together.

Wind energy, despite being 15-20% higher on costs that solar currently, does offer higher output with the newer turbines in the market today, and could yet make a major contribution to filling the ever widening energy gap effectively with the adoption of large storage technology.