REconnect Summit Coimbatore: Experts Stress Tamil Nadu’s Wind Repowering, Hybrid and Offshore Growth

India ranks fourth globally in wind energy capacity, with ~ 50-53 GW installed, driving annual investments of  ~10–12 GW and supporting more than 40,000 turbine manufacturing jobs, largely concentrated in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Against this backdrop, REconnect Summit 2025, organised by Energetica India in Coimbatore, hosted the session, 'Winds of Change – Reinventing Wind Energy in Tamil Nadu'. The panel featured Chandra Boreddy, Partner, Deloitte India; Maariappan Subramanian, COO – West Region, Suzlon Energy, Pune; Dr. Kumaravel Rathinavel, MD, Deutsche WindGuard India; Dr. Balaraman K, Former Director General, NIWE (MNRE) and Chairman, ETD46 BIS and Manmathan Narayanan, VP – Operations and Projects, Leap Green Energy and National Council Member, IWPA.

Boreddy, as moderator, highlighted India’s renewable energy progress, saying the country had achieved 52 percent non-fossil fuel capacity five years ahead of schedule, with 260 GW of the targeted 500 GW installed capacity now coming from clean energy. Subramanian said Tamil Nadu continues to lead the country with 42 GW of total renewable capacity, adding that the sector’s slowdown after 2010 was largely driven by land acquisition challenges and outdated turbine technology. He noted that modern designs, with higher hub heights and larger rotor diameters, are now unlocking development potential at low-wind sites.

Rathinavel highlighted opportunities in both greenfield projects and repowering, stating that 3–5 MW turbines can now be deployed across the state. However, he pointed to persistent challenges, including land consolidation, micrositing constraints, evacuation limitations and the transportation of larger blades. He also noted that Tamil Nadu accounts for about 7 GW of India’s 25 GW repowering potential and said that digital O&M tools such as SCADA, predictive analytics and blade protection systems can significantly boost generation and reduce downtime.

On hybrid solutions, Subramanian said that integrating solar with wind could meet up to 80 percent of round-the-clock industrial power demand, with energy storage covering the remaining requirement. He stressed that clear policy frameworks on hybrid operations and banking arrangements are critical to scale adoption.

Balaraman flagged offshore wind as a major growth avenue, citing an estimated potential of 35 GW along Tamil Nadu’s coast. He warned that turbine availability for Class 2–3 wind regimes, high vessel costs and gaps in port and onshore grid infrastructure remain key constraints. He added that specialised turbines with large rotor diameters are needed to achieve Plant Load Factors (PLFs) of close to 50 percent for commercial viability.

Panellists highlighted that digital operations and maintenance tools such as SCADA systems, predictive analytics, digital twins and blade protection technologies could significantly improve plant availability and generation from existing assets. They noted that Tamil Nadu alone accounts for roughly 7 GW of India’s estimated 25 GW repowering opportunity.

On grid operations, experts said forecasting accuracy for wind power has improved significantly, with day-ahead forecasting now achieving close to 90 per cent accuracy. They recommended shifting from decentralised project-level forecasting to centralised, control-area-based forecasting to reduce scheduling errors and improve grid stability.

Industry representatives said hybrid wind-solar systems and supportive banking frameworks are essential for expansion in the commercial and industrial segment, as monthly banking has reduced the viability of standalone wind projects for captive consumers.

The panel concluded that targeted policy reforms, sustained grid investments and stronger coordination between OEMs, utilities and government agencies will be essential for Tamil Nadu to regain its pioneering role through repowering, hybrid systems and offshore wind.