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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an amendment to the guidelines for the development of onshore wind power projects, specifically addressing the micrositing of wind turbine generators (WTGs). Micrositing involves optimizing energy production by correctly placing WTGs in a wind farm, considering all physical constraints of the area. The optimized locations for WTGs can be determined using appropriate wind flow modeling, optimization tools, and techniques suitable for any terrain conditions.
The criteria for micrositing are now based on achieving an optimized output rather than adhering to a mandated minimum distance between wind turbines. Developers are required to optimize wind turbine locations using appropriate wind flow modeling and optimization tools, following site assessments as per the IEC 61400-1 standard for turbine safety. These assessments must consider extreme wind, flow inclination, vertical wind shear, turbulence, wake effects, and corrections for terrain complexity.
The guidelines specify that developers must maintain a distance of 5D (where D is the rotor diameter) between turbines if they are perpendicular to the predominant wind direction, and 7D if they are in line with the predominant wind direction. If adjacent turbines owned by different developers have dissimilar rotor diameters, the larger rotor diameter should be used for the 5D and 7D calculations. However, these distances may be reduced if there is mutual consent between the adjacent turbine developers or owners.
Additionally, developers are prohibited from siting wind turbines within 500 meters of any cluster of dwellings to mitigate noise. A cluster of dwellings is defined as at least 15 inhabited buildings unless state-specific norms dictate otherwise.
These updated micrositing techniques also facilitate repowering and intercropping, allowing investors and developers to maximize the use of available land without being constrained by minimum distances, thus ensuring optimized utilization of land with wind resources. This amendment has been approved by the competent authority and aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of wind power project development in India.
Please view the document here for more details.
