MAKE IN INDIA

Country’s largest, most powerful wind turbine commissioned in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Nov 3 (IANS) Standing 200 meter tall, towering over the Mundra coastline, is India's largest Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) commissioned in Gujarat, India. With the final blade in place, the 5.2 MW WTG is the first addition to ANIL's (Adani New Industries Ltd) product portfolio. This prototype by Mundra Windtech Limited (MWL) is taller than the world's tallest statue, the Statue of Unity (182 meter), with blades bigger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747.

Size certainly matters, at least when you're generating wind energy. The larger and more powerful a wind turbine, the more efficient it will be at producing renewable power. This prototype wind turbine by MWL is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. At 78 meter, its blades are bigger than the wingspan of a jumbo jet making it the longest in the country. It is the biggest wind turbine in terms of power and has a rotor diameter of 160 meter. The hub height of the wind turbine generator is 120 meter, about the height of a 40-storey building.

Milind Kulkarni, COO, MWL, said, "The proto assembly was completed in a record of 19 days. It is installed, commissioned, and we shall soon go for a type certification now. This prototype has laid a foundation stone for us to go for another prototype which shall be even taller than the 140 meter hub height. Going forward, we shall manufacture our own blades, while we have already started the assembly of Nacelle, and Hub in our own upcoming facility in Mundra." Wind turbines have had a growth spurt over the last couple of years. Turbines of the capacity above 4 MW are typically associated with offshore installation - where the machines have gone as big as 14 MW. But an onshore turbine of 5.2 MW is a rarity and certainly not seen in India. This machine is a first and has been built with technology from W2E (Wind to Energy) of Germany. It will work at wind speeds as low as 3 metres per second (mps) and up to 20 mps, reaching its optimum power production at around 12 mps wind speeds. In continuation to strengthen quality and validating new configurations and components to develop even larger and more efficient turbines, this wind turbine is both an example of and a reason for the success of wind power.

Conforming to IECRE 16400 standards, the turbine model will power approximately 4,000 homes. The capacity to produce more energy from a single turbine means fewer turbines need to be built at each wind farm. This means simplified operation and maintenance processes, increasing the accessibility and affordability of Renewables for both companies and end-users.

It is a great move as MWL is foraying to carry on business as manufacturers of wind turbine generators and its other auxiliaries in Mundra. It shall drive down logistical costs by enabling blade assembly onsite and reduce the costs for permitting equipment and road work required for transporting longer blades.

Dennis Schultz, plant head of Blade Production Unit at MWL, shares, "We have partnered with two European leaders in technology advancements -- WINDnovation for rotor blade designs and W2E.

C-295 aircraft facility big step to become truly ‘Aatmanirbhar’: Chandrasekaran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing plant here, expressing hope that soon passenger aircraft will be manufactured in India with the 'Make in India' tagline.

The C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be manufactured by Tata-Airbus with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, TATA Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said, "With the setting up of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, the Tata Group will now be able to take aluminum ingots at one end of the value stream and turn it into am Airbus C295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. This is a historic moment not only for the Tata Group, but for the entire country, as it embraces the Prime Minister's vision of being truly 'Aatmanirbhar'."

Guillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, said, "It is a moment of pride and honour for the company to be part of the aerospace in India and the company's airbus teams are committed to support the modernisation of the Indian Air Force with the C295 programme, which will also contribute to the development of the private defence manufacturing sector in India."

In September 2021, India had formalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus C-295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force's (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet.

It is the first 'Make in India' aerospace programme in the private sector involving the development of a complete industrial ecosystem -- from manufacturing to assembly, testing and qualification to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.

The first 16 fly-away C-295MW aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025. The first 'Make in India' aircraft is expected from September 2026.

C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the IAF's ageing Avro aircraft. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/landing from semiprepared surfaces is another of its features. The aircraft will strengthen the logistic capabilities of the IAF.

NGT junks plea to promote ‘anti-air pollution device’ under ‘Make in India’

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to hear a plea seeking directions from the Centre to test the efficiency of a device claiming to capture ultra-fine particulates, including PM1 and PM2.5-1, and to declare it as a part of the “Make in India” and “National Clean Air Programme” initiative, if it qualifies for the requisite test and guidelines.

“We are unable to entertain such application. Role of the Tribunal is to adjudicate on substantial question of environment and not to test devices of commercial enterprises,” the tribunal bench headed by its Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said in a recent order while disposing of the plea.

Arif claims POLRED is the first device in the world to capture ultra-fine particulate matter such as PM1 and PM2.5-1 and has been granted patent by more than 50 countries in addition to India.

The petitioner sought directions to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Physical Laboratory to monitor and test the efficiency of the installed POLRED devices in the pilot project for four to eight weeks and submit a report to the NGT.

He also sought to direct the respondents to conduct a pilot project using the required number of POLRED units and direct if it qualifies the requisite test and guidelines.