Energetica India Magazine nº88 March-April 2020

WIND POWER 53 energetica INDIA- March-April_2020 quirements for both type certifications of components and proj - ect certification of the entire wind farm, only type certification is mandatory. Certification beyond type certification Of course, type certification provides essential confidence in that the key components of a wind power project are up to the task required of them. But it only goes so far. There are many factors that lie outside the remit of type certification that can affect the ability of a wind farm to perform to the predicted level or even to successfully reach the operational phase at all. For example, more than one Indian wind power project has had problems caused by turbines failing due to foundation design issues. For this reason, we at DNV GL believe that type certification alone is not enough to help the wind power sector make the transition to a subsidy-free model. A more holistic approach – ideally full project certification – is required to address all tech - nical risks and stimulate investor confidence. And by making it compulsory, regulators ensure that no bid in a project auction can undercut rival by cutting corners – helping guarantee a reliable and sustainable electricity supply. It is worth noting that in Europe where wind power is most es - tablished, the countries with the best performing wind power industries – and the first to move towards subsidy-free wind power – are those that mandated project certification. These include Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Even where project certification isn’t mandatory, we see that investors de - mand it and project developers ask for it to improve their insur - ance coverage and premium costs. Looking forward to offshore Following its successes to date with onshore wind, India is now setting ambitious targets for offshore wind. There is certainly interest from international investors to suggest that these tar - gets are achievable. However, the approach to certification and standards will be crucial. If the approach to certification is the same as for onshore wind, there is a very real possibility that the ramp up of offshore wind in India could be delayed. In contrast, Taiwan has taken a very open approach to safeguarding offshore wind projects and in- vestigating the technical requirements for offshore wind project certification. As a result, it is one of the leading offshore wind power markets in Asia. Just as Taiwan learnt from and built on lessons from Europe, India can learn from and build on what Taiwan has done to achieve its own offshore wind goals. Of course, the argument against project certification always comes down to cost. But the cost of project certification is minimal compared to the overall cost of an offshore wind proj - ect. And that minimal cost could be the difference between success and failure for a project, and the vital stimulus for the Indian wind power industry as it navigates the tricky transition to zero subsidies.