August 10, 2012. Green Infra Ltd., backed by IDFC Private Equity, will start developing wind farms from scratch next year, ditching a business model in India that favors dominant turbine supplier Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL) over competitors such as General Electric Co. The New Delhi-based developer seeks to bring down project costs by acquiring land and clearances for new projects, tasks traditionally handled by the turbine supplier in India. Green Infra joins independent wind farm developers such as Greenko Group Plc (GKO) and Mytrah Energy Ltd. (MYT) in separating project development from turbine orders to drive better deals from suppliers. A global supply glut has driven down the price of wind turbines by 23 percent since 2009, squeezing turbine makers' margins and intensifying competition for orders in India, the world's third-biggest wind market. Unlike most markets, suppliers in India tend to hand over completed wind farms to owners and investors, negotiating deals that include project development costs as well as turbines. That model has benefited manufacturers such as Suzlon, Spain's Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA (GAM) and Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS), which grabbed 54 percent of Indian installations last year, according to data from the Indian Wind Manufacturers Association. In contrast, GE and Siemens AG (SIE), who do turbine-only deals, didn't install any machines in the country. Turbine suppliers in India are quoting prices of about ' 63.5 million ($1.2 million) per megawatt. They've refused to lower prices despite a turbine oversupply. By handling its own project development, Green Infra will consider a broader range of suppliers, including GE and potentially Chinese manufacturers such as Sinovel Wind Group Co. and China Ming Yang Wind Power Group (MY) if they're able to get their machines approved by regulators. Greenko signed a deal with GE to buy at least 450 megawatts of turbines over the next three years. That contract will supply machines that are 20 percent more efficient than the average available in the market for the same price. Green Infra, which bought BP Plc's Indian wind-energy portfolio of 100 megawatts in 2009, has 232 megawatts of wind farms and a 10-megawatt solar plant in the country. It has secured financing to build two more solar projects totalling 25 megawatts by early 2013 that will use thin-film panel technology. It will also add another 100 megawatts of wind capacity.