Wind Energy Key to India’s Green Energy Goals
16 Jun 2025 CW Team
On Global Wind Day 2025, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, reiterated that wind energy lies at the heart of India’s renewable energy strategy. Addressing a stakeholders’ conference in Bengaluru, Joshi stated that India’s ambition to source 50 per cent of its power from non-fossil sources by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2070 hinges on the growth of wind energy.
Alongside Union Minister of State Shripad Yesso Naik and Karnataka’s Energy Minister K.G. George, Joshi underscored that India’s growing manufacturing base must be supported by clean energy sources, including solar, wind, and others. “Wind is not a component of our energy mix, it is central to Atma Nirbhar Bharat,” he said.
India currently ranks fourth globally in wind power installed capacity and third in overall renewable energy production. Joshi credited this progress to sustained efforts over the past decade, which transformed India into a leading renewable energy manufacturer.
Emphasising the government’s vision of “renewable energy for manufacturing and conventional energy for households,” Joshi said India’s manufacturing capacity is poised to grow, and the energy ecosystem must evolve accordingly.
The minister highlighted three critical priorities for the wind sector:
1. Combine wind with solar and storage (BESS) to ensure round-the-clock power.
2. Reduce high tariffs—currently Rs 3.90 per unit—to boost competitiveness.
3. Strengthen domestic manufacturing for both self-reliance and global exports.
The Centre has allocated Rs 265.49 billion for renewable energy in the 2025–26 budget—a 53 per cent increase over the previous year—with a major share directed to wind energy.
India currently manufactures wind turbines ranging from 225 kW to 5.2 MW, across 33 models by 14 firms, which are both domestically sufficient and globally competitive. To unlock the nation’s full wind potential, Joshi outlined five focus areas:
- Expand into new states like Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha.
- Launch the offshore wind sector, with 4 GW of leasing zones identified in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
- Integrate wind into firm and round-the-clock green power using storage.
- Modernise the grid with AI-based forecasting tools.
- Strengthen local manufacturing across the entire wind value chain.
Joshi also released two key reports—Wind Energy Roadmap and Wind Manufacturing Roadmap—which will guide strategic planning in the sector.
At the event, Karnataka was recognised as the best-performing state in wind capacity addition for 2024–25, with 1,331.48 MW, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,136.37 MW) and Gujarat (954.76 MW).
Global Wind Day, observed annually on 15th June, celebrates the progress of wind energy worldwide. The 2025 event, organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, brought together key stakeholders from state and central agencies, DISCOMs, CPSUs, the wind industry, academia, and associations such as WIPPA, IWTMA, and IWPA to deliberate on the future of wind energy in India.