The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has charted a course of action for wind turbine generators (WTGs) to follow in order to get low voltage ride through (LVRT) certification.

MNRE issued the course of action as part of an order that pertains to the compliance of WTG models to the technical standards of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for grid connectivity.

The proposed course of action comes after MNRE examined the issues and difficulties WTG manufacturers face in obtaining their needed statements of compliance (SoC) or conformity statements (CS) within the stipulated time period.

According to MNRE, self-certification for compliance with CEA certification standards will be accepted for WTG manufacturers in the Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM) until March 31, 2019.

To be included in the RLMM, WTG manufacturers can apply for the LVRT certification to any internationally accredited testing body or the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) for testing by March 15, 2018.

For WTG models for which self-certification has already been provided, a certificate from NIWE must be obtained to demonstrate their compliance with the technical standards of the CEA.

During the self-certification period, the RLMM list will have two tables, one will be for wind turbines that have a valid SoC/CS and the other will be for self-certified wind turbine models for which NIWE certificates have been issued.

If discrepancies are found in the compliance of a self-certified wind turbine model, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will be barred from installing wind turbines in India for five years, the wind turbines will be disconnected from the grid, and an additional penalty of ₹20 million (~$306,848) will be levied.

Stall regulated wind turbines and wind turbines with capacities of less than 500 kW that are connected at voltage level of 22kV/11kV and below are exempt from submitting SoC/CS documentation to demonstrate their compliance with CEA technical standards for their connectivity to the grid.

In 2017, Mercom reported that wind was the second most installed power source in India after solar, and accounted for 19.6 percent of new installations. Solar and wind together made up for almost 65 percent of new generation capacity last year.

Renewable energy capacity additions continue to gain momentum in India and now account for 19.4 percent of India’s total capacity mix, according to data compiled by Mercom India Research.

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