India’s move to stabilize its power grid by asking wind farms to accurately predict their output a day in advance or face fines will deepen the slowdown in Asia’s second-biggest wind market,Tata Power Co. (TPWR) said.
A directive took effect this week ordering wind farms with a capacity of 10 megawatts or more to forecast their generation in 15-minute blocks for the following day. Missing estimates by more than 30 percent will incur penalties.
“Forecasting at 15-minute intervals is very challenging,” and could cost a 100-megawatt farm an estimated 250 million rupees ($4.2 million) a year, Tata Power said in an e-mailed response to questions. “Developers will see this as a further handicap” and penalties will “jeopardize” the industry’s growth, the nation’s second-biggest developer said.
India’s wind market is already reeling from a 42 percent plunge in turbine installations in the last financial year after the government withdrew subsidies. Some of the biggest developers including Tata Power, CLP Holdings Ltd. (2), and Goldman Sachs Group (GS) Inc.-backed ReNew Wind Power Pvt. have slowed plans for new projects, while turbine sales plunged forSuzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL) and Gamesa Corp Tecnologica SA. (GAM)
The order from India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission took effect yesterday. Wind farms will use seasonal records and weather forecasting tools for their estimates. Fines will be paid to state utilities through a new Renewable Regulatory Fund.
Biggest Blackout
Volatile generation led to the world’s biggest blackout last year after grid collapses on two straight days cut off power to half of the country’s 1.2 billion people. The infrastructure can’t cope with intermittent wind- and sun-power generation, which has doubled in capacity in five years to almost 20 gigawatts.
“There are bound to be problems in the short term,” said V. Subramanian, chief executive officer of the Indian Wind Energy Association. “However, in the long run this is a development that would make the wind sector a responsible constituent of the grid.” Continue reading, here…..
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Here in the USA (Pacific NW) Hydropower is limited because it is “non-renewable” so Wind can
be ah, used …
They aren’t in other words running Dams at capacity to support wind…
Why have the UK authorities not had the wherewithal to implement such a sensible regime here? The power sellers have to predict consumption demand on a day-ahead basis, so it that supply can better (and more efficiently) match demand.
I note the quote:-
V. Subramanian, chief executive officer of the Indian Wind Energy Association. “However, in the long run this is a development that would make the wind sector a responsible constituent of the grid.” The inference being that currently the wind sector is irresponsible.
I like it.
It is actually much easier than it might seem. All the producers have to do is pick a figure below expected minimum. if the wind is much stronger than expected, reducing output is easy. The window is wide.
Anyway, make them also provide much longer figures, for planned maintenance elsewhere, which is a fact of life.
Whereas in Europe, consumers pay a premium so that wind can disrupt the grid.
Perhaps we need to adopt the same strategy in the UK. Without competition the consumer always gets ripped off, while the government gets a big increase in revenue.
tchannon says:
‘All the producers have to do is pick a figure below expected minimum’
But ‘Missing estimates by more than 30 percent will incur penalties’.
Guess who the bill for the penalties gets passed on to.
“However, in the long run this is a development that would make the wind sector a responsible constituent of the grid.”
He admits irresponsibility. Government is also remiss, should have seen this coming and reacted before the event.
Mind you it is notoriously responsible today, for trouble.
Good luck making wind power pull its own weight. Can’t be done.