Tamil Nadu one of the top sources of renewable energy in the world: Report

Tamil Nadu is now one of the top nine markets in the world to have achieved a large share of renewable energy, analysis by the Institute For Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)  mentioned. 

Renewables currently account for 16% of Tamil Nadu’s electricity generation, its second largest source of energy after coal and is the only Asian market on the list. Its wind turbines have a combined installed capacity of 7.9 gigawatts (GW). 

As well as being India’s number one state for wind energy, Tamil Nadu is also top for rooftop solar, and third for overall solar capacity including large-scale solar farms. 

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It tops in wind power capacity, with around 7,870 MW as of March 2017, followed by Gujarat (5,429 MW) and Maharashtra (4,752 MW). Tamil Nadu is also India’s oldest power producer in this segment, with most of its wind farms around 25 years old.

In solar, it stands third with 1,697 MW as of June 2017. This includes the world’s second-largest single-site solar farm (648 MW). Andhra Pradesh (2,010 MW) and Rajasthan (1,961 MW) are the frontrunners.

The availability of rich wind and solar energy resources, a wide gap between power demand and supply, and robust government policies helped Tamil Nadu take the lead.

The coastal state sees heavy wind flows for about six months a year and four more months of moderate flows. It also receives 300 days of clear sunshine, experts said.

The other leaders in the list included California, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, South Australia, Spain, Tamil Nadu, Texas, and Uruguay.