Gujarat – Offshore Wind Energy
Gujarat is all set to host the country’s first offshore wind farm. India has been planning offshore wind energy capacity for the last 3-4 years without much result. Gujarat has been at the forefront given that the state has the longest coastline in the country and has good sties for offshore wind energy development.
Recently MNRE singed an MOU with a number of state owned PSUs such as NTPC, PowerGrid etc. to set up a 100 MW offshore wind farm. 
Subsidies will be provided for setting up the transmission infrastructure as well as doing various studies such as EIA, feasibility etc. Note offshore wind energy is established in Europe with Germany, UK and Denmark building a large number of offshore wind farms. Though the cost of offshore wind farms is higher than onshore ones, the advantage is that offshore wind farms generate larger amounts of electricity per unit of capacity and don’t eat up land like onshore ones. The costs are also falling with increasing scale and learning from building of more and more farms. China has also started to aggressively expand its offshore wind energy potential.
Though costs are high, India needs to enter this renewable energy segment as it risks falling behind in this new technology. IT will help in the development of an ecosystem and expertise in India. Otherwise the country risks falling behind like it did in solar energy. Despite installing more than 1 GW of solar energy, the country barely manufactures 100 MW of solar cells domestically. Manufacturers such as Bharat Forge, Suzlon etc. should be encouraged to participate in offshore wind energy, so that they can build the requisite experience and expertise.
Google+India’s federal government signed an agreement with state-run agencies to build the nation’s first offshore wind power project off the coast of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.The 100-megawatt project will receive financial support from the government, including for studies and environmental evaluations. Power transmission will also be subsidized, the Press Information Bureau said in a statement today. It didn’t give a time frame for when the studies and project will be completed.
