Harnessing wind energy has come a long way in India, on par with international development, with the private sector actively participating in the path laid down by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) over the last decade. The policy formulated for the development of wind power by MNRE supported by the State Policies, including the evacuation of power through the State Electricity Boards, has placed India on the world wind energy map.

To sustain wind energy development and to help India achieve self-reliance in the power sector supplementing the core conventional resources, MNRE has been planning and developing the basic infrastructure, institutions, and resources for carrying out research and development, large scale demonstration and diffusion of the non-conventional energy sources.

As a step towards achieving these broad goals and to tackle the challenges in sustaining the development and accelerating the pace of utilization of wind energy in the country the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has been established by MNRE at Chennai as an autonomous R&D institution of Government of India.

A Wind Turbine Test Station with technical and partial financial support by Danida, Government of Denmark, has been established at Kayathar, in Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, as an integral part of the Institute.

It is envisioned that NIWE will serve as a technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country.