A Scottish company has supplied eight wind turbines for use on a base in Antarctica where they must withstand temperatures of -60degC and winds of over 90m/s
Princess Elisabeth Station, which was officially inaugurated this month, is the only polar base operating entirely on renewable energies. This in itself marks a major change, as most stations rely on diesel generators because no wind turbines, until now, were thought to be robust enough for such extreme conditions.
Turbines in this location must endure the most severe weather conditions on Earth: they will be operating in average winds of 53mph and winter gusts of over 200mph — while still providing 230V electricity for the station's heating, computers, lights and scientific instruments. The electricity generated is expected to be the highest output of any small wind power system in the world.
Scotland-based small wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy supplied the 6kW wind turbines, which are designed to work in extreme environments — previous installations have weathered ice storms in Slovenia and typhoons in Japan.
Proven Energy's Operations Manager Richard Caldow commented: “This is a great credit to our company that the International Polar Foundation has chosen us to work with. They recognise the confidence others have in our technology which is a testament to our product."
This month's official inauguration represents a technical achievement that blends the best that both science and technology can offer. By bringing together international technology and expertise, Princess Elisabeth Station will combine eco-friendly construction materials, clean and efficient energy use, optimisation of the station's energy consumption and the best waste management techniques.
Such leading techniques and facilities will aim to reduce the station's ecological footprint on the pristine environment of Antarctica, following the principles set down by the Antarctic Treaty. In addition to the turbines, both solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) will be used on the building itself. The water supply for the station will use solar thermal panels to melt the snow thereby limiting the use of electrical energy to pump water.
