Suzlon and associates commissions their first Operational Offshore Met Station in Arabian Sea.

Indian government’s target of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 including 60 GW wind energy, is expectedto becomea reality propelled by technology and conducive policy environment for renewables. Last year in FY17, India recorded its highest wind energy capacity additionwith ~5,400 MW being installed and has the fourth largest onshore wind capacity in the world with ~32.5 GW of installed capacity.

Given India’s coastline of 7,600 kms, the country has enormous potential for offshore wind energy and it can potentially repeat the success achieved inonshore wind energy.The National Offshore Wind Energy Policy was announced by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in October, 2015 for setting up offshore wind projects in India. In order to encourage private participation in the field of offshore studies and surveys, MNRE has completed the process of consultation over the draft guidelines for ‘Offshore Wind Power Assessment Studies and Surveys by Private Players’. The policy guidelines are expected to be announced.

Suzlon group, with access to the most matured offshore wind energy technology has initiated techno-commercial feasibility study. Suzlon along with its associates,under the guidance from National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Chennai and approvals through National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) Chennai, have installedtheir firstOperational Offshore LiDAR(Light Detection And Ranging) based wind measurement station in the Arabian Sea, south west of Jakhau port in Kutch, Gujarat. The met stationis expected tocollect data for a period of two years.

Met Stationplatform

The offshore wind data collection platform is installed at about 16km from the shore in the territorial waters of Gujarat under the control of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) at a water depth of about 11m (w.r.t Chart Datum), where the tidal range is 4m. The support platform is at a height of about 14m above water level. Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has provided the project with valuable insights about sea properties during various seasons, navigation routes apart from administrative permissions and facilitation.

LiDAR 

The unmanned met stationwill be powered by solar energy and will be remotely monitored for maintenance needs. Engineers will visit the site for general inspection periodically and to cater to servicing needs in case of a breakdown.

Additionally, an onshore mast of 150m has also been installed for validation / correlation purposes.The installation of the offshore wind met station will aid in better assessment of offshore wind and will lead the way in harnessing India’s vast offshore wind energy potential.