Exploring Technologies for the Clean Energy Transition of Tamil Nadu

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines electricity generation technology options to support the sustainable energy transition of Tamil Nadu (TN). It evaluates the current landscape, technology readiness levels (TRLs), and market potential for various renewable and clean energy sources, including wind, solar PV, bioenergy, energy storage, and green hydrogen, while identifying the policy and infrastructure barriers to their adoption.

• Tamil Nadu has significant potential for wind energy repowering as turbines from the 1990s reach the end of their lifecycles. The immediate repowering potential is 834 megawatts (MW), with an additional 3,979 MW expected by 2027, which could increase overall capacity and generation due to the higher efficiency of modern turbines.
• Offshore wind is identified as a sector with high-TRL technologies already used internationally, though India still needs to develop supply chains and port infrastructure. This is particularly relevant given a planned 4 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind project tender off the coast of Tamil Nadu.
• Solar PV market potential in Tamil Nadu is high, supported by capacity addition plans of 20 GW. While monocrystalline technology share is increasing, newer high-efficiency technologies remain costly and require policy support for installation; TRLs for solar PV technologies range from 4 to 10.
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are seeing expanded market potential due to the increase in variable renewable energy, with a planned capacity of approximately 10 gigawatt-hour (GWh) in Tamil Nadu over the next 10 years.
• Green hydrogen is being explored as an alternative fuel, with TRLs of 7–9 for alkaline and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers. While the National Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million metric tons (MMT) by 2030, immediate benefits are seen in replacing fossil-fuel-based hydrogen in refineries and fertilizers; Tamil Nadu has been chosen for the establishment of green hydrogen valleys.
• Bioenergy technologies with high TRLs and existing supply chains are available, though they require regulatory support. In Tamil Nadu, cogeneration power plants with an installed capacity of 90 MW are currently under way.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Exploring Technologies for the Clean Energy Transition of Tamil Nadu. https://www.wri.org/research/exploring-technologies-clean-energy-transition-tamil-nadu

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Exploring Technologies for the Clean Energy Transition of Tamil Nadu. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/exploring-technologies-clean-energy-transition-tamil-nadu.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Exploring Technologies for the Clean Energy Transition of Tamil Nadu |url=https://www.wri.org/research/exploring-technologies-clean-energy-transition-tamil-nadu |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendexploring, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Exploring Technologies for the Clean Energy Transition of Tamil Nadu}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/exploring-technologies-clean-energy-transition-tamil-nadu}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }