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Site selection for offshore wind farms along the Indian coast

Article in Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences · August 2014

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Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences
Vol. 43(7), July 2014, pp. 1401-1406

Site selection for offshore wind farms along the Indian coast
R. Mani Murali1*, P.J. Vidya1, Poonam Modi2& Seelam Jaya Kumar1
1
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa – 403004 India
2
Former Student, Centre for Environment Planning and Technology, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
*[Email: [email protected]]

Received 30 September 2013; revised 13 November 2013

This study deals with the location of the potential sites for offshore wind farms and also deals with the feasibility of
installing offshore wind farms through scientific examination along the coast of India. Offshore wind energy is almost
unexplored along the Indian coast. Potential and feasible regions need to be found and studied in detail. In this regard, few
of the essential primary parameters such as bathymetry, wind velocity, proximity to the coast, ports, harbours, marine
protected areas and marine sanctuaries were considered. Suitable sites for offshore wind farms were demarcated in a GIS
environment. Weekly climatology (1999-2009) of wind speed was used to explore the seasonal wind potential. GIS analysis
has brought out potential wind farms regions of 32,000 km2 in north east Arabian Sea (Off Mumbai and Off Ratnagiri)
where bathymetry is in the range of 20 m to 75 m. Wind velocity ranges between 1.9 m/s to 10.2 m/s in these regions. The
second potential site has been identified at off Mangalore with 6490 km2. The third prospective site is at Off Hooghly
estuary.

[Keywords: Offshore wind farms, wind velocity, west coast of India, clean energy, GIS.]

Introduction generation using wind energy in northwest Karnataka,

India was studied using wind farms3. About 53
The world energy demand has been ever percent of electric power in India is generated from
increasing. Energy sector has seen many changes over coal and lignite based steam thermal plants which
time due to introduction of new technologies. contribute a lot to air pollution4. Therefore, the need
Conventional sources of energy have ruled the energy of the hour is a cleaner sustainable renewable source
market thus far. But due to issues like extinction of of energy, in which wind power can play an important
fuels and protection of the environment, many role. Wind energy is also clean energy because wind
countries have considered renewable energy resources turbines produce no pollution while operating. India
as the primary energy source in the last two decades. has been playing an important role in world’s energy
Share of renewable energy resources has been market. As far as wind power is concerned, India
increasing over time as new technologies are holds fifth place in the world for a total wind power
discovered. Wind, solar, biomass and geothermal capacity of 13.2GW5.
energy form only 0.7% of the total share of global Land-based wind energy has been harnessed for
energy consumption. But the overall installations of decades on industrial scale and is a proven
wind energy turbines have been increasing since the technology. Wind is one of the renewable energy
90’s. Due to the advancement of research and technologies that rely on a free and naturally abundant
technology, the wind power capacity has been fuel source. It can serve in the economic development
increasing exponentially. That is because wind energy of the country due to direct and indirect jobs. It serves
is one of the cleanest and most ubiquitous resources in to the global cause of addressing climate change by
the world, which humans have used for thousands of reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also
years1. avoids the import of gallons of oil for power
As the population in India is rapidly growing, the production. Though the manufacturing and
demand for energy is increasing. As a result, India’s installation of the turbines themselves do result in
installed power generation capacity has increased emissions, an offshore wind turbine normally takes
from 1.4 GW in 1947 to 201.6 GW in 20102. Power 3 months of generating zero-emission energy to offset
1402 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 43, NO. 7 JULY 2014

the greenhouse gases emitted in manufacturing the placement of turbines.

turbine. Wind turbines usually have an operational Challenges: Eventhough wind is available
lifetime of around 20 years and wind turbine everywhere, harnessing that wind for electricity
generates a significant amount of net emissions of requires some thresholds for wind speeds. Lack of
free energy in its lifetime. For example, a 3.6 MW geographic and geologic locations, suitable for
turbine can produce up to 6, 22,944 Megawatt-hour installing wind turbines and transmitting power to
(MWh) of net-emissions-free energy in its lifetime, where is needed. The challenges that come on the way
which is equivalent to 76.5 tons of coal and 281 tons of setting up offshore wind farms are:
of CO2 emissions. A 420 MW wind power plant, over Cost: The capital cost of offshore wind farms
its lifetime, can generate the same amount of projects is higher compared to onshore wind power
electricity as 9000 tons of coal, or 33 million tons of projects. The average capital expenditure is double
CO2 emissions6. Unlike coal-powered generators, 90- mainly because of many bottlenecks. The cost in India
100 percent of all material from wind turbines can be might be higher because of the absence of Turbine
reused7. Offshore wind farms have many advantages Installation Vessels (TIVs), construction support
over onshore wind farms. Offshore wind potential is vessels, lack of sub-structure manufacturers, and lack
considered to be higher than onshore because offshore of trained man power etc9.
winds are stronger and more consistent. Technology: Offshore wind projects also require
The advantages and challenges of offshore wind different transmission lines for feeding the output to
platforms are briefly explained (Table 1). the grid. Since salt water is a conductor of electricity,
submarine transmission cables must be heavily
Materials and Methods insulated to prevent any leakage. Windy areas have
rough waters and rocky coastlines that quickly wear
Area: Greater area available for setting up large out transmission lines.
projects is one of the primary advantages of moving Scientific data: There are many parameters used for
towards offshore projects. assessing the feasibility of offshore wind farms. Data
Wind Speed: Wind speeds are significantly higher for many of those parameters might not be available.
at offshore regions. A global study of wind patterns The design process involves an initial site selection
found that offshore wind speeds are averaged 90% followed by an assessment of external conditions,
higher than onshore wind speeds8. selection of wind turbine size, subsurface investigation,
Turbulence: Wind is less turbulent at sea than over assessment of geo-hazards, foundation and support
land which results in lower mechanical fatigue load structure selection, developing design load cases, and
and thus longer lifetime of the turbines. performing geotechnical and structural analyses.
Visual Impact: Off shore wind farms are located far Wind turbines are generally mass produced and
from land and they have less visual impact which available in four predefined classes based on wind
helps with public acceptance issues. As they come speed. Consequently, the designer simply selects one
much less into human contact, people do not need to of the predefined turbine classes that may apply to the
deal with the noise pollution and eye sore that wind farm site. Water depth, seabed conditions, sea
turbines cause for some. Farmers complain at times state statistics (wave heights and current velocities),
that the whirring noise of the turbines scare their etc., may vary widely between sites, hence, the use of
livestock while others simply do not like the sight of a generic support structure concept is not feasible.
the turbines. Thus, by moving off land, the sounds Therefore, the tower, substructure and foundation, are
and images of the turbines are nearly unnoticeable. designed for site specific conditions. The foundation
Fishes and fishermen are least disturbed with proper system is selected based on several factors such as the
Table 1—Advantages and challenges of offshore wind farms over
level of design loads, depth of water at the site, the
onshore wind farms site geology and potential impact to the marine
environment. As larger, customized wind turbines are
Advantages Challenges
developed, they will require an integrated analytical
Area Cost
model of the turbine, support structure and foundation
Wind Speed Technology
system and rigorous analyses with site specific wind
Turbulence Data
Visual Impact
and wave regimes.
 MANI MURALI et al.: SITE SELECTION FOR OFFSHORE WIND FARMS 1403

Study area Wind speed:

India has a very long coastline of 7500 km Wind speed is an important parameter which
including the island territories and also has an EEZ of decides the feasibility of a particular site. There are
2.172 million Km2. It is surrounded by Arabian Sea certain thresholds which are to be followed for
on the west, Indian Ocean in the south and the Bay of generating optimum power. Minimum wind speed of
Bengal in the East. India has high wind potential on 5 – 5.5 m/s is considered as threshold for any wind
the shores and also on offshore. This study attempts to energy development in onshore and higher wind
find out the potential sites for the offshore wind farms speed has to be considered for offshore in order to
within India's EEZ region (Fig. 1). make the exploitation economically viable11.
Essential primary parameters such as bathymetry, Averaged wind velocity for 52 weeks over the study
wind velocity, proximity to the coast, ports, harbours, region has been estimated to find the overall idea of
marine protected areas, and marine sanctuary which wind availability (Fig. 3).
are used in assessing the feasibility of offshore wind
farm using the GIS environment. Weekly climatology Proximity to the coast, ports, harbours:
of QuickSCAT wind speed data with resolution 0.25 x Due to the installation of the wind farms, there could
0.25 degree was used for the period 1999-2009 to be danger of collisions between vessels and offshore
explore the seasonal wind potential. wind towers. As a result of collision, there would be
chance of pollution through oil spills or chemical spills.
Bathymetry: Also, there could be damage to the HV station because
Bathymetry, the water depth of the sea or the this could result in long idle period for the wind farm
ocean, is an essential parameter because it decides the with extensive loss of potential energy production.
primary cost of the tower. Installation of wind Collision during the construction or maintenance
turbines beyond a certain depth is not feasible because activities could result in injuries or even dead among
that might lead to hefty structures leading to increase
in cost. The feasible depth for turbine installation is
15-75 m10. Beyond 75 m, it becomes difficult and
leads to unnecessary expenditure. The below major
intervals of bathymetry are used in this study (Fig. 2).
a) 0 m - 24.9 m
b) -25 m - 49.9 m
c) -50 m -74.9 m
d) -75 m and above

Fig. 2—Bathymetry Surrounding the Indian subcontinent

(Data Source: GEBCO)

Fig. 1—Study region, the dashed line represents the Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ); (Courtesy: www.niobioinformatics.in) Fig. 3—Wind Velocity (m/s) (Averaged over 52 weeks)
1404 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 43, NO. 7 JULY 2014

workers12. Areas near to the ports and 50 kms distance the Indian coast. Identification of the fishing areas or
from the coast are considered for this study, so that the areas rich in fish species need to be identified prior to
traffic by the ships and the long cable laying can be before planning an offshore wind farm so that
avoided (Fig. 4). minimum fish population is disturbed.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine
sanctuary: Results and Discussion
The sites which are protected by law cannot be
considered as feasible sites for wind farm installation. After considering bathymetry and wind, three
Although usually considered to be areas designated feasible regions have been demarcated (Fig. 5).
for conservation of biodiversity, there are also other Two major regions emerge on the western side
types of MPAs. They include fisheries reserves or (Fig. 6, Fig. 7) and one on the eastern side.
―boxe s‖ where there may be seasonal closures or gear Bathymetry on the western part supports wind farm
restrictions as part of a management regime for installation as there is a larger area that lies in lower
commercial fisheries, areas of archaeological interest, depth as compared to the Eastern part. Wind velocity
military exercise areas and safety zones around is quite good for wind power generation in the first
marine structures where access is restricted. Hence, two regions (Fig. 8). Table 2 lists the marine protected
such areas are not feasible for wind farm installation. areas of which Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is an
Before considering the depth and wind parameters it important one. Region 3 is falling on the eastern part
is important to make sure whether the area is available of India which is at the proximity of the Sundarbans.
for wind farm installation as per Indian laws. MPAs
have to be considered for the same. The area
influenced by tidal action up to 500 m from High Tide
Line and Low tide Line has been declared as Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ). Marine ecosystems were
declared as the ecologically sensitive areas under the
Environment Protection Act, 1986 banning their
exploitation, followed by a CRZ Notification 1991
prohibiting development activities and disposal of
wastes in the mangroves and coral reefs. The Coastal
Regulation Act 1991 and 2011 was enacted by the
Government of India to protect the Indian coasts from
degradation. According to the CRZ Notification 2011,
the coastal zone encompasses upto 12 nautical miles Fig. 5- Feasible regions along the Indian coast
and all the land with which the sea has direct contact
and also those portions of the land on which the sea
has an influence indirectly through tidal action. Below
is the table which lists the marine protected areas on

Fig. 4—Ports with 50 Kms coastline buffer Fig. 6—Feasible region 1 in west of coast of India
 MANI MURALI et al.: SITE SELECTION FOR OFFSHORE WIND FARMS 1405

Pradesh
Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary Nellore, Andhra Pradesh 50,000
Sundarbans National Park West Bengal 1,33,010
Halliday Sanctuary West Bengal 595
Lothian Island Sanctuary West Bengal 3800
Sajnakhali Sanctuary West Bengal 3624

Table 3—Classification of seasons (Source: Indian

Meteorological Department)
Season Month
Winter January to February
Fig. 7—Feasible region 2 in west of coast of India Pre-Monsoon March to May
Southwest monsoon (Summer) June to September
Post Monsoon October to December

There are certain thresholds that should be

maintained for turbine installation and optimum
power generation. Ideally, bathymetry should be in
the range of 15 m to 75 m 10. Wind Velocity is needed
to be 5 m/s - 5.5 m/s for starting the power regulation
and the velocity should not exceed 25 m/s13.Total
number of weeks being 52 in a year; 52 wind velocity
maps were prepared for detailed analysis. To make it
simpler to understand and compare, seasonal wind
Fig. 8—Wind velocity comparison velocity maps are presented in the next section for
which the months have been divided into four seasons
Hence out of the three regions, region 3 is suggested as shown in Table 3.
as the least preferred region. Hence, Bay of Bengal is Region 1:
not feasible at present for wind farm installations. So, The region 1 is represented in Fig. 6. The area in
only the feasibility of wind farms on the western coast this region is about 32,000 km2 and the depth is in the
of India is further considered and recommended. range of 20 m to 75 m. The wind velocity ranges
Table 2—Marine Protected Areas (Singh H.S 2003) (minimum and maximum) between 3.3 m/s to 5.9 m/s
during the winter season whereas during the pre-
National Parks and Location Area
Sanctuaries (ha) monsoon season it ranges between 3.6 m/s to 7.2 m/s.
During summer monsoon wind velocity varies
Gulf of Kachchh Marine Jamnagar, Gujarat 16,289 between 4.3 m/s to 10.2 m/s and during post monsoon
National Park
season, it varies from 2.6 m/s to 5.6 m/s.
Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Jamnagar, Gujarat 29,503
Kachchh The region 2 is shown in Fig. 7. The region covers
Malvan Marine Sanctuary Maharashtra 2912 an area of about 6490 km2 and the depth ranges
Sindhudurg between 40 m to 75 m. Wind analysis was repeated in
Bhitar Kanika NP Cuttak, Orissa 14,500 the second region and it was found that in the winter
Bhitar Kanika Sanctuary Kendrapara, Orissa 67,200 season velocity ranges from 3.4 m/s to 4.3 m/s where
Gahirmatha Marine Santuary Kendrapara, Orissa 1,43,500 as during pre-monsoon season it ranges from 3.8 m/s
Chilka WLS Puri, Orissa 1550 to 5.1 m/s. During the summer monsoon the wind
Gulf of Mannar Marine NP Tamil Nadu 623 speed varies from 4.3 m/s to 9. 4 m/s and post
Pulicat Lake Sanctuary Tiruvellore, Tamil Nadu 15,367 monsoon season it varies from 1.9 m/s to 3.5 m/s.
Point Calimere Santuary Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu 1726 Minimum and maximum range of wind speed (m/s) in
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary East Godavary, Andhra 23,570 region 1 and 2 are represented in Table 4.
Pradesh
Table 4 clearly illustrates that in region 1 all the
Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary Krishna/Guntur, Andhra 19,481
four seasons, the maximum wind speed exceeds the
 1406 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 43, NO. 7 JULY 2014

threshold limit of 5-5.5 m/s. But in region 2, it shore wind energy can be tapped to the fullest.
exceeds only during pre-monsoon and summer
monsoon periods. Acknowledgement

Authors acknowledge Director, NIO for the

Table 4—Wind speed (m/s) during all the seasons in region
1 and 2.
support and the interest shown in this study.
QuickSCAT data are produced by Remote Sensing
Pre- Post- Systems and sponsored by the NASA Ocean Vector
Winter summer
monsoon monsoon Winds Science Team. The NIO contribution No is
Region 1 3.3-5.9 3.6-7.2 4.3-10.2 2.6-5.6
5623.
Region 2 3.4- 4.3 3.8-5.1 4.3-9.4 1.9-3.5

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