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Antarctic bases turn to renewables

mawson turbine

Antarctic bases are turning to wind and solar, such as this turbine at Mawson, to provide their energy needs(Source: Frederique Olivier, Australian Antarctic Division, Copyright Commonwealth of Australia)


Wind and even solar power are catching on - solar panels on the Antarctic Peninsula can collect as much energy in a year as many places in Europe.

Although there is little sunlight in the winter, the summer sun shines through crystal clear air and reflects off snow.

"Antarctica is the windiest place on earth, the coldest place on the earth, the driest place on earth. It's quite a test for materials," says Andy Binney, an engineer at the British Rothera base.

For example, plastics quickly become brittle in Antarctica's frigid climate.

"It's still slightly experimental," he says.

The solar panels Binney is installing, cost about 8,000 pound sterling (A$17,000) and will heat water and air at an accommodation building at Rothera, on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Among other renewables, Belgium's Elisabeth research station in East Antarctica aims to be first to rely solely on wind and solar energy, and the world's most southerly wind farm is under construction to supply US and New Zealand stations.

Japan uses solar power at its Syowa base and two 300 kilowatt wind turbines have been at Australia's Mawson station since 2003.

"Australia is the first country to obtain a significant electricity supply for its Antarctic stations fuelled by the most powerful winds on the planet," says the Australian Antarctic Division.

Avoiding pollution

Switching to renewable energies helps cut pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels - and curbs enormous transport costs in getting fuel to one of the most remote places on the planet.

The 47-nation Antarctic Treaty declares Antarctica a reserve for science and peace. And parties are obliged to "limit adverse impacts on the Antarctic environment."

"It makes sense. You can collect more solar energy on the Antarctic Peninsula over a year than in London," says William Ray, of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) which runs Rothera.

An existing set of solar thermal panels on a canteen and recreation building at Rothera is the biggest in Antarctica, he says.

Costing about 40,000 pounds sterling (A$85,600), BAS says they save more than 1000 litres of fuel a year and generate 15 kilowatts of energy.

New Zealand is currently constructing a wind farm to supply power to its Scott Base and the nearby US McMurdo station.

"The project will cut consumption by approximately 463,000 litres of fuel every year between the two bases, initially reducing fuel consumption by 11 per cent," says a wind farm spokesperson.

But Binney says that installing wind power is a problem at many bases, which lack heavy lifting gear.

"None of the equipment we've got here would be able to lift a large wind turbine into place. Then you get into crane hire, you'd have to bring in a contractor. Then the costs start to go up and that's where millions of pounds come in."

By contrast, he says, solar power was an easy fix. For example, scientists working on remote glaciers have been using portable solar panels for a generation.

Tags: alternative-energy, research-organisations, solar-energy, wind-energy