India will be one of the largest markets for renewable energy in the coming decades. And a solid renewable energy mix will be needed to fulfill the country’s ambitious target of 450 GW in 2030. Therefore, the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities yesterday launched the knowledge hub Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy as part of the India-Denmark Energy Partnership. Read more about the India-Denmark Energy Partnership here.
India’s offshore wind potential will contribute to meet the Paris Agreement commitments, attract investments and growth and create local jobs. Moreover, it will improve energy security and satisfy the need for more electrical power in a growing industrial economy. The Centre of Excellence aims to create an optimal environment for offshore wind in India. This is done through developing best practices, methods and tools in order to minimize risk and reduce the overall cost of offshore projects.
The Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind will be a virtual knowledge hub based on four working groups with Danish and Indian government officials working together to provide the best available international knowledge to the development of the offshore wind sector in India. The Centre will at the outset be centred around four working groups a) spatial planning;b) financial framework conditions; c) supply chain infrastructure; and d) standards and testing. Read more on the structure and history of the Centre of Excellence here.
In the initial phases, the Centre of Excellence (COE) will focus on the offshore wind sector. In the medium to long term, the vision is that the Centre will broaden to include a wider group of international governments and players, accumulating experience and best practices on offshore wind and become an international centre for offshore wind and with broader links to new and renewable energy. Both sides agreed to further their cooperation in renewable energy with a focus on offshore wind energy. The Danish minister Dan Jørgensen also invited Shri R. K Singh to Denmark to take a first hand look at Denmark’s work in offshore wind energy.