In what should be the peak season for wind energy generation, windmill owners are facing a surprising challenge this year—significantly lower electricity output due to reduced wind frequency and duration.
Experts attribute this unusual drop in wind power to abnormal weather patterns. On August 13, the total wind power evacuated by Tangedco was a mere 4.79 million units (Mu), a figure typically seen in the off-season.
K. Venkatachalam, chief advisor to the Tamil Nadu Spinning Mills Association (Tasma), explained the severity of the situation: “When wind power generation surpasses 100Mu, we call it ‘superwind.’ If it’s above 80Mu, it’s considered good wind. Average wind ranges from 30Mu to 70Mu, while anything below 20Mu is low wind. Below 5Mu is classified as no wind. In my 27 years of experience, I have never witnessed wind generation drop below 5Mu during peak season.”
Tamil Nadu, with an installed capacity of 10,591.68 MW in windmills, typically generates about 13,000 Mu annually. In 2023, the state absorbed 10,755 Mu during the peak season from July to September. However, windmill owners are uncertain if they will reach similar figures in 2024.
During the southwest monsoon, wind flows through the Aralvoimozhi-Pollachi pass to Sengottai and Aandipatti, energizing the windmills along the way. This year, wind power generation surged earlier than expected, with peak outputs crossing 5,000 MW in May, even before the official wind season began. Daily evacuation exceeded 100Mu during this period, but August has failed to deliver.
The highest wind power generation this season was recorded on July 16, with 109.54 million units (Mu), and the peak generation capacity reached 5,899 MW on July 30. However, a private weather analyst noted that the wind passing through Aralvoimozhi has weakened as rains in Kerala have subsided. The wind from the Pacific, which usually pulls clouds towards Kerala, has cooled, resulting in minimal cloud movement and dry winds. “What we are experiencing now are occasional winds due to a depression in the southwest Indian Ocean,” the analyst added.
Venkatachalam remains hopeful that the wind season may extend beyond September, as it sometimes does when generation dips during the peak period. The best wind energy generating year was 2022, with a record high of 120.25 Mu on July 9.
This year’s low output is a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources and the increasing impact of climate change on established patterns.
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