- Spain’s renewable energy modelling specialist, Vortex, is contributing crucial data to a first-of-its- kind project to improve wind forecasting and scheduling in Tamil Nadu, India.
- The pilot project launched on 13 May by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) will help Tamil Nadu’s state-owned electricity generation and distribution utility, Tangedco, better manage fluctuations in energy generation from the region’s 7.4 GW of installed wind capacity.
- Vortex and NIWE will provide electricity generation forecasts down to a fifteen-minute resolution up to 10 days ahead; with bulletins being revised every three hours to provide accurate predictions that enhance grid stability and energy security.
- Data will be generated by Vortex’s FORECAST service, providing on-line forecasts of wind speed and direction, power output and other meteorological variables over several time horizons.
- Vortex FORECAST is already forecasting more than 1000 MW in 15 countries around the globe.
Wind modelling specialist Vortex has partnered with India’s National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) to enhance wind forecasting in Tamil Nadu state. The project was announced on 13 May and will help Tamil Nadu’s state-owned electricity generation and distribution utility, Tangedco, better manage fluctuations in wind output in the region.
India is currently ranked fifth in the global wind energy league with over 23 GW of installed capacity. Spurred by the state’s support for renewables, wind energy generation capacity in India could rise by 5 GW per annum over the next decade. According to the Global Wind Energy Association (GWEC), India could reach 49 GW by 2020 under a moderate scenario, which would involve €6.6 billion of investments per year by 2020.
Nevertheless, GWEC reports, the Indian wind industry faces several hurdles including transmission, scheduling and forecasting problems, resulting in wind turbines being taken off line because grid mangers cannot accurately predict wind output and its effect on the entire grid.
Tamil Nadu tops India’s wind ranking, boasting 7.4 GW in 2015 – 35% of total installed capacity in the country. However, it too is facing the same challenges. Indian Wind Power Association (IWPA) Chairman, Dr K Kasthurirangaian, highlights that two to three billion units of electricity were lost each year in 2013 and 2014 because of wind farm downtime resulting from Tangedco’s difficulty in accurately predicting wind generation.
