A geospatial assessment of the techno-economic wind power potential in India using geographical restrictions

India is a privileged country in terms of wind resource regime. However, most of it remains untapped at the same time as ca 240 million people lack access to electricity in the country (19% of the total population). This calls for a thorough estimation of the amount of wind energy that could be technically and economically seized to assess the potential penetration of wind power into the country's energy system. The utilization of wind energy is associated with a plethora of localization criteria and thus it should be systematically addressed by spatial assessments to guarantee its harmonization with socio-economic systems, infrastructure and ecosystems. This study focuses on onshore wind power and strives to provide with estimates of techno economic potential based on state of the art wind power technology. Socio-economic, geographical and technical criteria regarding the localization of wind farms are outlined and implemented through a detailed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis. The levelized cost of wind generated electricity is then calculated geospatially. According to this assessment there are several states that signify high yearly wind energy yield, such as Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, whilst Goa and other states indicate the least or negligible wind power potential. The levelized cost of generating electricity ranges between 57 and 100 USD/MWh, which places wind power in a competitive position in the Indian electricity market.