The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) will conduct wind mapping of Jharkhand to provide an insight into the potential for developing wind energy infrastructure and assist in installation, commissioning of wind mills on turnkey basis at various locations in the State. The project has been started afresh after awarding the project to wind energy major Suzlon in 2009.
The mapping exercise would be initiated at nearly 8 to 10 locations across the State, a decision taken after a meeting of the officials of the NIWE and Jharkhand Renewal Energy Development Agency (JREDA) on Thursday. A preliminary report on suitable locations for conducting survey is expected to be ready in about a month.
“We have taken the initiative afresh. The NIWE will conduct a survey at 8 to 10 locations and satellite images will be used to select locations convenient for conducting survey. It will take at least one month for the preliminary report to come and then we will decide where to install high mast for mapping wind energy,” said Project Director, JREDA, Arvind Kumar.
Notably, hills of Parasnath, Jhumra and Hazaribagh have been tentatively included in the list of places where wind velocity and related measurements will be taken to assess scope of wind energy in Jharkhand. Even as selecting locations would take around one month, the survey will continue for two years to get a clear picture of wind energy potential of Jharkhand.
“The survey will tell about the height of mast either 50 meter or 80 meter that would be installed at those locations,” maintained the Project Director.
Incidentally, wind energy mapping exercise in Jharkhand has not been a new initiative as two exercises were undertaken in last 15 years but of no help to move ahead with tapping of wind energy. As high masts were installed in Netarhat and latehar to assess wind speed and capacity to move wind turbines for electricity generation, JREDA had also roped in Suzlon to advise on the matter of wind energy production in various parts of Jharkhand. Nonetheless, vision for the scope of wind energy is blurred until the NIWE comes out with plausible suggestions as previous reports became redundant with passing time.
“Suzlon is not associated with us anymore. We are banking on NIWE and it now depends on them who to include in the project. Reports generated earlier are of no relevance today,” added Kumar. The survey conducted by the wind energy company appears to have vanished in thin air as a faint memory of the exercise conducted for mapping is difficult to trace.