Half-Yearly Report: Indian Wind Energy Installations Surpass 2022 Records

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The Indian Wind Energy industry seems to be bouncing back after a lull. A comparative study of the monthly installed capacity data of different power sources hinted at the rise of wind energy installations in the country in 2023. According to the monthly reports on wind energy capacities during the first half of 2023, the sector witnessed a total addition of 1,844 Megawatts (MW), starting from January 2023. 

As per the data compiled by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India’s total wind capacities till the end of December 31, 2022 stood at 41,929 MW. It increased to 41,983 MW by the end of January 2023 and notched up to 43,773 MW by the end of June 2023. This led to a total addition of 1.8 GW of wind power during the first half of 2023. This wind energy capacity is almost equal to what India added during the whole year in 2022. Between January and December 2022, India added 1,847 MW of wind energy.

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On the other hand, compared to the first half of 2022, the total additions of wind power capacities are more than double. While in the first half of 2023, India added 1,844 MW of wind power capacities, during the same period in 2022, the country could add merely 706 MW. 

This development comes against the backdrop of some of the policy changes too from the government side. Earlier this year, the Ministry discontinued the proactive reverse bidding and went ahead with closed bidding. Meanwhile, The Ministry also issued year-wise bidding targets to achieve the target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel by 2030. This also included dedicated target for wind energy installations. There are now separate wind energy purchase (WPO) obligations to in addition to the overall Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) ensure mandatory offtake of wind energy. Works have now taken off towards establishing offshore wind power by major players like NTPC. 

Solar energy installations dip YoY

However, the same data analysis revealed that solar installations have plunged in the first half of 2023. The solar installations in the first half 2022 stood at around 8,359 MW. On the contrary, the total solar power installations in the first six months of 2023 stood at 6,794 MW, hinting at a slower growth on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis. 

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On the other energy fronts, during the first half of 2023, India added 24 MW of small hydro projects, 43 MW of waste-to-energy projects, and 30 GW of biomass-based or cogeneration plants. The country added 8,742 MW of total renewable energy in the first six months of 2023.