India added 1.45 GW of wind capacity in 2021, a 30% year-over-year (YoY) increase compared to 1.11 GW installed in the previous year, according to the recent data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

India had over 40 GW of installed wind capacity at the end of 2021.

However, capacity additions declined 58% YoY in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021 with 212 MW, compared to 500 MW in 2020.

Quarter-over-quarter, installations fell by 45% compared to 384 MW installed in Q3 2021.

Wind energy accounted for 10.2% of India’s total installed power capacity as of Q4, 2021.

Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka continued to be major markets for wind installations.

Tamil Nadu added about 418.25 MWMW of wind capacity in 2021. The state leads the market with 25% of the total installations in India with over 9.8 GW.

About 815.22 MW of wind capacity was installed in Gujarat during the year. The state has a 22% market share with a total installed wind capacity of 9 GW and is ranked second.

In 2021, about 208.4 MW of wind capacity was added in Karnataka. The state has around 5.07 GW of operational wind capacity and accounted for 13% of the country’s installations.

Maharashtra installed only 12.2 MW of wind capacity in 2021, contributing 13% to the total market share with a cumulative installed wind capacity of 5.01 GW.

Rajasthan has a total capacity of 4.32 GW, making up for 11% of the wind power installations in the country. However, the state did not install any new capacity in 2021.

According to the recently published Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) report, India has set a target of 140 GW of installed wind capacity by 2030. As of 2021, the country has achieved 28% of the target. The report notes that the wind industry was mostly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic causing difficulties in supply chain logistics, import of raw materials, and movement between states for workers.

The government has, over the period, taken steps towards unlocking the potential of the wind sector, with interstate transmission systems (ISTS) set up, bundling with other renewable energy sources, and state-level wind energy policies.

Last month, NTPC Renewable Energy invited bids for the development package of the interstate transmission system-connected wind energy projects up to the capacity of 720 MW. The projects can be developed anywhere in India.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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