Chennai: Forecast and scheduling of wind power generation in the state seems to have helped the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation to evacuate more wind energy, which is one of the cheapest sources of renewable energy, than in previous year.
Compared to last year, Tangedco’s wind power evacuation has increased by 74 per cent to 1,897 million units in June this year from 1,086 MU in June 2015. Tangedco was able to evacuate more wind energy thanks to forecast and scheduling done by National Institute of Wind Energy on behalf of wind generators in the state.
“It is an encouraging sign. Tangedco has evacuated more wind power than previous year in the peak wind season that begins in June and ends in September,” a wind generator said, expressing hope that the evacuation remains good throughout the wind season.
“We started providing forecast last year. This year we are providing a schedule of wind generation too. We have also agreed to compensate the loss, if any, incurred by the Tangedco in terms of purchasing power from exchange when our forecast and schedule goes wrong. We have done whatever Tangedco has asked us to do to ensure full evacuation. It is now the turn of Tangedco to keep its assurance,” the generator said.
A NIWE official said that wind forecast done by them was one of single largest wind power forecasts in the world covering 7,400 mw windmill capacity connected to the grid through 102 substations. “This year we started doing scheduling of wind generation at substation level. Moreover, we were able to bring down errors to two per cent to six per cent, which is well within the error margin fixed by the CERC,” the official said.
A senior Tangedco official said that they were evacuating as much wind energy they could accommodate in the grid.
“Even though the power demand has gone down due to widespread rains, we are putting our coal based thermal power stations in standby to evacuate wind power,” the official said.
