ANTARCTICA, February 24, 2009. Eight wind turbines have been
erected in Antarctica providing power for the
International Polar
Foundation’s Princess Elisabeth Station.
The
wind turbines are withstanding temperatures of -60°C and
average wind speeds of 53 mph and gusts of over 200 mph. The
Princess Elisabeth
Station is said to be the only polar base operating entirely on
renewable energies.
Proven Energy, a Scottish based small wind turbine manufacturer, supplied the 6 kW wind turbines, which are designed to work in extreme environments. Previous installations have weathered ice storms in Slovenia and typhoons in Japan, according to Proven Energy.
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.
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