MNRE CIRCULATES DRAFT INDIAN WIND TURBINE CERTIFICATION SCHEME (IWTCS)

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, in consultation with the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai, has prepared a draft of new Scheme called Indian Wind Turbine Certification Scheme (IWTCS) incorporating various guidelines of the Turbine Certification Scheme.

The IWTCS is a consolidation of relevant National and International Standards (IS/IEC/IEEE), technical regulations, and requirements issued by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), guidelines issued by MNRE, and other international guidelines. It has also strived to incorporate various best practices from other countries to ensure the quality of the wind energy projects.

The draft Scheme enlists the guidelines for the benefit of all the stakeholders from concept to lifetime of wind turbine, including Indian Type Approved Model (ITAM), Indian Type Certification Scheme (ITCS), Wind Farm Project Certification Scheme (WFPCS), and Wind Turbine Safety & Performance Certification Scheme (WTSPCS).

The IWTCS is envisaged to assist and facilitate the following stakeholders: (i) Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs); (ii) End Users—utilities, state nodal agencies (SNAs), developers, independent power producers (IPPs), owners, authorities, investors, and insurers; (iii) Certification bodies; and (iv) Testing laboratories.

Wind energy has matured over the decades to be the mainstream source of renewable power generation in India. The steady growth of the sector has seen different types of wind turbines with diverse performance and safety criteria. The MNRE, Government of India, through various policies and schemes has facilitated the healthy and orderly growth of the wind energy sector. The guideline for the recognition of the certification schemes in India by the MNRE was paramount for the success of quality wind turbines installed in India. The successful evaluation under the recognized schemes resulted in the wind turbines being listed in the Revised List of Models and Manufacturers (RLMM). This listing has resulted in stakeholders having confidence on the quality of the wind turbines offered by various manufacturers in India. Wind sector in India is growing at a rapid pace with increased utilization of wind energy for power development. The modern wind turbines have higher hub heights, larger rotor diameter, higher capacity, and improved capacity utilization factor (CUF) along with technological improvements. Under these developments, there is a need for a comprehensive document which provides the complete technical requirements which shall have to be complied by the wind turbines for the safe and reliable operation by all the stakeholders, viz., OEMs, IPPs, wind farm developers, financial institutions, utilities, and others. Also, there is a need for technical regulations which shall facilitate common ground for OEMs, developers, investors, and financial institution for systematic development.

Type Certification of wind turbines plays an active role in ensuring that wind turbines in India meet the requirements of requisite IS/IEC/IECRE standards in vogue. Internationally, IEC/IECRE Certification schemes for wind turbines are well recognized and widely used and the IWTCS in its formulation has incorporated the rules and procedures of IS/IEC/IECRE.

MNRE