The station

Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the first “Zero emission” polar research station: front view with solar panels

 

The research station that this project is based at is unique.  Built less than a decade ago, this station is novel because it is a zero emissions station.  The station is powered using a mixture of renewable energy sources.  There are nine wind turbines as well as both photovoltaic solar panels and thermal solar panels.  Because the station only operates during the Antarctic summer and the station is located south of the Antarctic circle, the station receives 24 hours of sunlight most of the operating season.  Additionally, the settings where the station is located is quite windy, which makes wind an important sources of energy.  In addition to the energy generation, there are batteries to store energy for the times when the demand exceeds the generation.