Wind generators approach Amma Call Centre
Chennai: With Tangedco continuing to back down wind turbines at night time, wind power generators will be registering their complaint in the Amma Call Centre to bring the issue to the notice of Chief Minister.
“We have made a complaint to Amma Call Centre on behalf of the association and also asked the individual wind generators to register their complaints separately to resolve the issue of grid dropping at earliest,” said a windmill association representative.
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of windmills installed in the country to the tune of 11,800 wind mills with an aggregate installed capacity of 7,480 MW.
Wind generators allege that windmills are being grid dropped from 10 pm to 6 am everyday even during the lean wind generation period of November-April.
Due to grid dropping, the wind generation is severely affected, the generator said, adding that this continues to happen despite the fact the generators have started providing wind energy forecast through the National Institute of Wind Energy.
“Though wind energy, like loads in the grid, is variable in nature, but with available latest technology, the quantum of wind energy could be forecast with 90 per cent accuracy thus enabling full integration into the grid. We are providing the forecast regularly to the grid manager for the next eight days with 15 minutes interval,” the association said in its representation to the Amma Call Centre.
It further said that absorption of wind energy by Tangedco has dropped by 40 per cent from 10,212 million units for the period of April to December in 2012 to 6,108 MU in the corresponding period last year.
Non-evacuation of cheap and pollution free wind energy has resulted in the loss for generators, Tangedco and consumers, it added. “Our appeal to Chief Minister is to instruct TNEB not to disconnect windmills from the grid but to absorb 100 per cent wind energy to save wind energy sector and the industries consuming wind energy in the state,” it said.
A senior Tangedco official said that wind power is being evacuated as per the power demand.
“Wind power cannot be evacuated fully by compromising grid security. The infirm nature of wind does not allow full evacuation,” the official said, adding that if the wind generators started providing schedule for generation along with forecast, the evacuation could be done in a better way.