Holes in the sails
The windsurge notwithstanding, wind energy policies are beginning to smell a bit: for one, the programme continues to be import-dependent. Says S S Murthy, professor of electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, "The pace of indigenisation is slow and little attention is being paid to improve the systems or develop a strong technology base." K M Dholakia, director of the Gujarat Energy Development Agency, concurs, "At present, the demand for wind energy generators (WEGs) is incentive driven and much of the technology is imported. There is no sizeable indigenous R&D support to sustain the rapid growth."
But according to L M Menezes, secretary at the Union ministry of non-conventional energy, "The question of self-sufficiency is irrelevant in the present liberalised economic atmosphere." But Murthy argues, "We should at least develop the capability to understand and operate these systems. What we claim to have indigenised is old and the gap is increasing."
Murthy also cites the instances of the older units set up in Gujarat. There is nobody to maintain them as the contracted guarantee periods have run out. "An inspection of their logbooks reveal that they have not functioned in recent years," he maintains.
There is also a felt need for research on the effect of power grids on the wind turbines as grid instability is the greatest hurdle to grid-connected windpower generation. While these are inevitable in the development of any new technology, they have to be addressed with our own indigenous R&D effort, says Murthy.
Technologists and manufacturers are unanimous on one count -- about the delay in setting up a testing centre. Says Rakesh Bakshi of Vestas RRB India Ltd, "WEGs are being directly marketed and field experience is gained at the expense of the customer." Despite MNES' assurance that the Centre would be set up soon at IIT Madras, Krishnamurthi of Natural Energy Processing Co feels it would be at least 5 years before a full fledged centre is operational.