Odisha to join list of wind power States

Subject :Geography

Section: Economic Geography

In News: Odisha is all set to join the list of states that are home to the wind energy industry.

Key Points:

At present, wind power plants are operational in eight states – Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — with good wind speeds.
Odisha is offering 500 MW of capacity under the ‘feed-in tariff’ mechanism and intends to provide incentives for turbines or components manufactured in the state.
Feed-in tariff, or FiT, refers to a fixed, per kWhr price for electricity supplied, as opposed to tariffs discovered through competitive bidding. FiT is considered more remunerative for the energy companies.
The current trend is towards the supply of round-the-clock renewable electricity, which means both wind and solar will have a complementary role to play.

Quick Facts:

India stands 4th globally in Renewable energy installed capacity (including Large Hydro), 4th in Wind power and 4th in solar capacity.
Total non-fossil capacity is 172.72 GW = 120 GW RE + 47 GW Large Hydro + 7 GW nuclear power.
India has a little over 44 GW of wind power capacity today.
Solar accounts for 40 GW.