Small Wind And Solar Hybrid Project In India

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is planning to set up a project employing small wind energy and hybrid systems
• Under the project, the central government will support 10 projects with 50% of the project cost, which is estimated $2,977 to $4,465 per project
• Indian government is considering launching a national programme on grid connected small wind and solar hybrid systems; a lot depends on success of pilot project
• The first system will be installed in wind turbine test station of National Institute of Wind Energy in Tamil Nadu and will have a total capacity of 25 kW

Inspired by the success of small wind energy and hybrid systems (SWES) in the US and some European nations, the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing a pilot SWES demonstration project to power un-electrified areas or areas with intermittent electric supply.

With a total capacity of 25 kW, the first pilot system will be installed at the wind turbine test station of the National Institute of Wind Energy at Kayathar, Tootikudi District in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The ministry will initially support 10 such demonstration projects with central financial assistance (CFA) to community users for installation of such systems. The estimated cost for a single project comes to 2,00,000 to 3,00,000 INR ($2,977 to $4,465) depending on configuration and location of the project. MNRE will bear 50% of the project cost.

These hybrid systems assume importance as India mulls launching a National Programme on Grid Connected Small Wind and Solar Hybrid System in the future.

Around 2.69 MW of such systems are installed in India, as of March 31, 2016. MNRE informed that at present there are six small wind turbine manufacturers and nine models empanelled under the program.