Large-scale offshore wind energy installation in northwest India: Assessment of wind resource using Weather Research and Forecasting and levelized cost of energy

In India, there are plans for 5 GW of installed capacity of wind power by 2022. This study establishes that the wind resource along the west coast of Gujarat is sufficient for offshore wind farms of between 500 MW to 2 GW rated power to be operated with capacity factors of 40% to 54%. For the majority of sites, a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in the range 68 to 86 £/MWh can be achieved with installation on floating support structures. The LCOE is up to 3.2 £/MWh greater for installation on bed-fixed structures closer to shore. The wind resource and energy yield are predicted using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF). Wind speed occurrence is predicted to within 1.3% for multiple sites simultaneously, and this provides wind turbine energy yield to within 3.4%. Wind speeds occurring due to sea breeze are accurately predicted and contribute 6.2% of annual energy generation at the nearshore locations and 3.8% at the deeper water offshore sites. While these events improve the viability of nearshore locations, floating installations offer lower LCOE for most locations along the Gujarat coast.