Windmill or Solar Which Is Best for Business in India

Introduction

Electricity is produced from two sources of energy:

1. Non-Renewable sources of energy are the resources that are available only in limited quantity on Earth. In other words, once they are used up, they cannot be replaced. Fossil fuels (i.e., coal, natural gas, and oil) and nuclear energy are non-renewable resources. Withdrawing energy from these resources is not a clean procedure where different types and large quantities of pollutants are emitted into the surroundings.
2. The renewable source includes solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass energies. These resources are natural resources that can be converted into clean, reusable energy.
   

Records of total global carbon emissions

According to the World Resource Institute Report, the rank of the top five countries that contribute to the total global carbon emissions are China (30.34%), the USA (13.43%), India (6.83%), Russia (4.71%), and Japan (3.03%). The emission of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels is 40% which has increased by 56% since 1990. Burning fossils not only is used for electricity generation but for fuelling our vehicles, and machines and activating chemical reactions necessary to formulate goods from raw materials. 60% of electricity is generated from burning fossil fuels. Out of the 33 billion tonnes of fossil fuels burned per year, about 44% of this is from coal, about 34% from oil, and about 21% from gas.

It seems the rate of greenhouse gas emissions never decelerate, because by the year 2021, as the world rebounds back from the Covid-19 crisis, the rate of gas emissions increased by 6% which is the largest in history, greater than counterbalancing the previous year’s pandemic-influenced decline. If counted per capita greenhouse gas emissions, India is managing better than many developing and developed countries, however, this is insufficiently related to the concern for Earth. India is the largest consumer of coal in the world and closes to 74% of energy demand is met by burning fossil fuels. The rate of import of coal has increased by 25% between the years 2014 and 2018.

Green Technologies

Non-renewable resource consumption in India has increased by 5.2% between the years 1990-2016 and it is projected to be the fastest in the world at the rate of 4.2% for the period 2016-2040. High greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause extreme weather, food supply disruptions, increased wildfires, and respiratory diseases. Therefore, being among the top emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, we are highly responsible for environmental and public health disruption. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to find alternate sources of energy for generating electricity.

Renewable resources are the green solutions to environmental crises. India along with the rest of the country has been on the run for replenishing this alternative for various sectors of energy consumers. As of January 2022, India has installed renewable energy facilities at 152.36 GW, contributing 38.56% of the overall installed power capacity. The goal set for 2022 is 175 GW and for 2030 is 450 GW renewable energy capacity. By 2021 end, the renewable energy capacity of 157.32 GW is contributed by solar (48.55 GW), wind (40.03 GW), small hydropower (4.83 GW), bio-mass (10.62 GW), large hydro (46.51 GW), and nuclear (6.78 GW). India’s Central Electricity Board also targets of producing 50% of total electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2030.

Also Read: Top 10 Solar Panel Manufacturers, Suppliers & Exporters in India 2023

Investment in Green Technology

Renewable energy is also referred to as clean energy because the resources considered can be constantly replenished. For example, the sun and wind keep on shining and blowing through the seasons of the year. However, their intensities vary over geographical regions. Renewable energy capacity in India is contributed mainly by hydropower, solar, and wind. Investment in hydropower is influenced by the presence of perennial rivers and their setup has environmental and human concerns. Therefore, the scope of using wind and sun for harnessing energy is a great idea for India considering the favorable climatic conditions in many parts of the country.

Windmill or solar: Which is the best for business in India?

Between the two resources, the advantages of wind energy over solar energy are:

1. Wind does not depend on daylight or the sun to generate power; therefore, electricity can be produced round the clock.
2. A wind turbine can generate 250 Watts to 7 MW. A wind turbine of 2.5-3MW capacity can produce more than 6 million kWh which can sustain electricity to 1500 homes. While one typical home solar panel can produce 3 kWh of energy a day. Therefore, a larger quantity of solar panels is required to generate energy equivalent to one windmill.
3. One solar panel producing 14.72 Volts costs between ₹32000 to ₹40000 while one household 1000 Volts capacity windmill price in India can be afforded at ₹80000.
4. Even though solar panels can be installed on the roof, the tapped energy will be required to be stored in solar battery banks that cost ₹7,550 - ₹12,360. However, with the wind being available throughout the day, only a smaller battery capacity will be sufficient. Overall, a windmill's price is lesser than many solar panels.
5. Although solar energy is 100% renewable, it is not completely carbon neutral. Fabrication of photovoltaic panels requires the use of toxic chemicals, water, and electricity. The panels are also not recyclable. The propeller blade and pole of a wind turbine are made of recyclable metals.
6. The overall carbon dioxide equivalent per kWh generated for wind energy is 4 grams while for solar it is 6 grams.
7. Windmills extract about 50% of the energy that passes through them compared to 15-20% of a home solar panel.

However, solar panel installation can be done on the roofs and they are not noisy as wind turbines. Another disadvantage of wind energy over solar energy is its unpredictable occurrence. Since wind and sun intensity differ with geographical locations, the choice of either source of energy is dependent upon the location of installation, space available, availability of investment budget, and availability of suppliers and services. Betting for businesses in windmills over solar power generation will be determined by the demand of the consumers and initiatives encouraged by the government.

Windmill Manufacturers

The Windmill business in India is still run by private companies. The key windmill manufacturers in India are:

1. Suzlon Energy Limited
2. Wind World India Limited
3. ReGen Powertech Private Limited
4. Inox Wind Limited
5. Orient Green Power Limited
6. Indowind Energy Limited
7. Vestas India
8. Enercon India Pvt Limited
9. Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Limited
10. GE Wind Energy Limited

Procurement of Windmill near me

Small windmills can be bought in cash while commercial-scale projects can be financed. One cannot install the setup by oneself and it requires the expert to attach the different parts to the correct places. Therefore, for installation, one needs to buy the parts by contacting the supplier and requesting services too. A few of the suppliers located in India are:

1. Revayu Systems Pvt. Ltd., Delhi
2. Wish Energy Solution Private Limited, Pune
3. Vinayaka Energy Tech, Bengaluru
4. Reliable Consulting Engineers, Vadodara
5. Green Energy Systems, Indore
6. Alpha Power, Coimbatore
7. Right Renewable Tech LLP, Chennai
8. Utkarsh India Limited, Kolkatta

Conclusion

Saving Earth against adverse climatic conditions and human health impacts, every country in the world needs to switch off their conventional powerhouses which run on fossil fuels and invest in green energies such as wind, sun, tides, biomass, and nuclear fission. Hydropower, wind, and solar energy are the leading sources of energy in India. With environmental concerns of dam construction, the windmill is preferable over solar panels due to its greater benefits of easy installation, higher power generation, and absence of non-recyclable parts. Therefore, the windmill price in India is relatively cheaper and it is also more carbon-neutral than harnessing solar energy.

FAQs: Windmill

Q. Will the windmill business be profitable in India?

Ans. It was being said by one entrepreneur that in total about 5-6 lakh units of green energy can be obtained from a 250 kW wind turbine and generator just in the first installation. Therefore, an estimation has been obtained that an individual can garner up to Rs. 13 lakh by selling the units of green energy to the electricity board in the state in the first year itself as profit. In places where the wind speed is maximum, turbines can produce a significant amount of energy to produce electricity and the owner can sell it to the power utilities locally in its state or neighboring states making it flow to the grids, homes, and other businesses.

Q. What is the price of a windmill in India?

Ans. The approximate price of a windmill in India is around Rs. 80000 without the inclusion of transportation cost, taxes, and installation cost.

Q. Which state in India has the highest wind energy production?

Ans. The state of Tamil Nadu has the highest production of wind energy in India accounting for about 9.3 GW of wind energy systems installations where it shares about 25% of the total installed capacity in the country. The state of Tamil Nadu is well-known to be the leading wind systems installer in India.