On 10th March 2021, the National Institute of Wind Energy in India (NIWE) and The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) and the Danish Technical University (DTU) discussed in a workshop the overall project for Dhanuskhodi.
NIWE has expressed a strong desire to gain value from the Danish experience and draw lessons learned from the planning and operation of Denmark’s Offshore Wind Test Centre Østerild. This is supporting the scoping and definition of objectives of a potential National Test Centre for Offshore Wind Turbines at Dhanuskhodi.
As a part of the continued effort of the Ministery of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and NIWE to promote renewable and wind energy in the country, the first Onshore Wind Turbine Test Facility in the Asia Pacific Region was established in India at Kayathar during the year 2000. Christened as “National Wind Turbine Test Station”, this facility with steady west winds has acted as a natural wind tunnel to test & enable, over the decades, many of the original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) to get their wind turbines certified.
Offshore wind in India represents a unique opportunity for exploiting renewable energy going forward, harnessing the potential available around the long coast lines of the country. Geographically positioned near the equator, the wind conditions at Dhanuskhodi in the state of Tamil Nadu are quite unique with annual average wind speed of 8.36 m/sec and monthly averages always above 6 m/sec. The development of Indian offshore wind farms could benefit much from testing and technology demonstration of wind turbines for these Indian conditions.
For thjs purpose, NIWE, DEA and DTU arranged a virtual workshop to discuss NIWE´s plans for the overall project at Dhanuskhodi. A National Test Centre for Offshore Wind Turbines at Dhanuskhodi could be beneficial for the following reasons:
To read more about Dhanuskhodi, its features and potential purposes, please click here (link to the brochure for Dhanuskhodi).
During the workshop, NIWE also presented the preliminary findings of the National Offshore Test Centre Survey Questionnaire. The Survey Questionnaire has been forwarded across many different stakeholders in the offshore wind energy spectrum to understand the needs of the Indian and international wind industry, and the scope and relevance of the National Test Centre for offshore wind turbines at Dhanuskodi.
The survey can be accessed at the following link: https://survey.zohopublic.in/zs/43B2e1
As proven by the Danish experiences, a national test centre for offshore wind is a costly long-term investment, which requires strong political support and economic willingness from both public and private stakeholders. Therefore, the planning and operation of a test centre should be done in close dialogue with the industry and authorities.
A strong commitment by the industry is fundamental to drive the process forward. For this purpose, a virtual workshop with the Indian and international wind industry will be planned by NIWE to gain further knowledge and clarify the full scope and relevance of the National Test Centre for offshore wind turbines at Dhanuskhodi.
Please follow the Centre of Excellence´s website to be updated on the newest results.