India installed 2.8 GW of new wind energy capacity in 2023, a ~56% surge from 1.8 GW in 2022. The cumulative wind capacity as of December 2023 stood at 44.7 GW, compared to 41.9 GW at the end of 2022.

In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, India added 552 MW of wind power capacity, representing a 141% year-over-year (YoY) increase, according to Mercom India Research. Installations in Q4 surged by 34% quarter-over-quarter.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has included wind power in the Renewable Power Purchase Obligation (RPO) trajectory, with an eye on driving wind installations higher.

The increased demand for round-the-clock renewable energy has led to a rise in wind-solar hybrid projects across the country.

In Q4 2023, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu witnessed considerable growth in solar-wind hybrid renewable energy projects due to favorable policies and easier access to land as compared to other states in the country.

Apart from utility-scale installations, group captive hybrid power projects are also gaining pace in these states due to C&I consumers’ interest in procuring green power for longer durations.

 

 

Notable projects commissioned during the quarter were Continuum‘s 67.5 MW wind-solar hybrid project in Tamil Nadu, JSW Renew Energy’s 51 MW of the Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) Tranche IX project in Tamil Nadu, and NTPC Renewable Energy‘s 50 MW of Phase-I Dayapar Wind Energy Project in Gujarat.

 

Gujarat led the states for cumulative wind installations, accounting for 25.1% of the country’s total capacity. Tamil Nadu came next with 23.3%.

At the end of Q4, Karnataka had the third highest installations, representing 12.5% of the total wind capacity, and Rajasthan ranked fourth with 11.6%.

Maharashtra was fifth, accounting for 11.5% of the installed wind capacity during the quarter, followed by Andhra Pradesh (9.2%) and Madhya Pradesh (6.4%).

In December 2023, MNRE revised its 2016 policy for repowering wind power projects to facilitate the replacement of older turbines.

Around the same time, the Ministry of External Affairs also issued the Offshore Wind Energy Lease Rules 2023, notifying that leased areas for offshore wind energy projects will be valid for an initial three-year period for conducting resource measurements and surveys.

In a bid to harness the potential of offshore wind energy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget 2024 speech, announced viability gap funding for offshore wind projects with a cumulative capacity of 1 GW. This financial support is expected to propel the development of offshore wind projects, contributing to India’s renewable energy goals.

Recently, SECI, on behalf of the National Institute of Wind Energy, invited bids for the allocation of sea-bed lease rights for 4 GW offshore wind power projects on a build-own-operate basis.