Denmark has an extensive track record in onshore and offshore wind (OSW), however, this year’s Windergy in Chennai, India made it a first for the Pavilion of Denmark. The Pavilion, representing 10 Danish companies under Danish Wind Export, was an opportunity to showcase Denmark’s long expertise in delivering state-of-the-art technology products and services to the wind sector worldwide. Denmark’s presence was highly noted, as the Pavilion throughout the conference was buzzing with activity, business meetings and networking.

The first day was kicked off by H.E. Ambassador Freddy Svane at the inaugural session spotlighting the Indo-Danish Green Strategic Partnership signed in 2020, which underlines both countries’ huge commitment and sets out a joint roadmap for climate action. By combining Danish expertise, its comprehensive value chain, extensive experience with wind technology, and India’s scale, speed, scope, and political will, the potential for making a significant stride towards a greener future is immense.

Anticipating a threefold increase in electricity consumption by 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that India will emerge as one of the world’s largest markets for renewable energy in the near future. Collaboration will continue to play a pivotal role in achieving global targets, and as Prime Minister Modi declared during the announcement of India and Denmark’s Green Strategic Partnership commitment in 2020, “Denmark has the skills, India has the scale, and the world has the need for new technologies.”

New wind alliance to spur partnerships

Another highlight of day one at Windergy was the announcement of the new Wind Alliance India, with leading Danish and Indian players, including Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Vestas , LAUTEC, Baettr , The Confederation of Danish Industry, Danish Chamber of Commerce, Indo-Danish Chamber of Commerce, Danish Energy Agency, Global Wind Energy Council, Embassy of Denmark in India, and Indian Wind Turbines Manufacturing Association (IWTMA) as founding partners along with State of Green who supports the initiative.

The Wind Alliance India aims to foster collaboration in sustainable energy solutions between the two nations, working towards their shared global goal of achieving net-neutrality, with a specific focus on onshore, offshore, and repowering efforts. This initiative builds on the momentum of a strong year of collaboration between India and Denmark, kickstarted with the Royal Visit earlier this year. As a result, a multitude of business delegations have been actively engaged in a two-way exchange between India and Denmark, including a notable visit co-hosted by State of Green in May, from Power Grid Corporation of India. 

Denmark sharing knowledge on offshore wind

The Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy is another example of a joint initiative between the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Danish Energy Agency, aiming to support India’s ambitious targets on renewable energy. As another testament to the collaboration between Denmark and India, Mr. Alp Gunsever, Head of the Secretariat of The Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy & Danish Energy Agency), was invited to speak at the session ‘Offshore Development in India and specific to Tamil Nadu’. As the ongoing tender process on offshore wind energy has yet to materialize into an actual tender, Mr. Alp Gunsever highlighted the Financial Modelling of Offshore Wind in India (FIMOI) project, providing LCoE estimates for the first offshore wind farm in India and the related risks. FIMOI uses a methodology that the Danish Energy Agency also employs to calculate the price for offshore wind and tenders in Denmark based on best-available data and benchmarks.

Head-start to the Danish wind value chain

The second day of Windergy India 2023 witnessed a dynamic country session hosted by State of Green, the Trade Council and Invest in Denmark. The session underscored the significance of collaborative partnerships in realizing India’s goal of 140 GW wind capacity by 2030, starting off with State of Green presenting their new virtual wind value chain, a tool developed for non-Danish companies to get a quick overview of the Danish wind value chain and a head-start to finding relevant Danish business partners. Denmark’s legacy as the cradle of wind energy is widely acknowledged, spanning everything from R&D, manufacturing, installation, and operation of wind turbines to energy production, distribution, and grid integration.

After State of Green’s presentation, Invest in Denmark opened the session, inviting Indian and Danish companies in the audience to join the conversation and share their perspectives on India’s potential as a localization hub for foreign businesses, the opportunity for Indian manufacturers to establish closer connections with their customers, and the prospect of India becoming a strong partner in achieving sustainable green initiatives.

GWEC, a knowledge partner to Windergy and an impartial invitee at the country session, spoke to the tendency of India as a preferred manufacturing hub in the global supply chain in need of greater geographical diversification. Looking at the demand and supply forecast for the next five years, GWEC’s data indicate, that we will see a shortage of supply for specific components. In this context, India is prepared to fill the gap.

Windclusion Alliance – a pledge for a more diverse workforce

LM Wind Power, which celebrates 30 years of presence in India this year and has produced 50,000 blades, equivalent to one-third of India’s installed capacity, also took the stage on the last day of Windergy to present the Windclusion Alliance. With a room packed with engineering students, the message was clear: we need a more diverse representation in the wind sector. Alongside Ørsted, LM Wind Power, Siemens Gamesa, GE Renewable Energy, and Owens Corning, Windclusion presents a global alliance promoting inclusion and diversity in the wind industry. The aim of the alliance is to encourage and inspire people from diverse backgrounds, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because working in a diverse team has proven to be good for business. Diverse teams generate new ideas, are more innovative, find better and faster solutions, reduce risks, and make better decisions.