Hidden Joule

The International Polar Foundation have installed 8 wind turbines supplied by Proven Energy at the Belgian Princess Elisabeth station in the Antarctic. The station will be run exclusively on renewable energy sources including wind, solar thermal and photovoltaic panels. Turbines from the Scottish company Proven Energy have a good record of surviving extreme weather conditions in Slovenia and Japan.

Antarctic Power. Image-Source: Proven Energy

The Princess Elisabeth Antarctic station is the first to rely solely on renewable sources for it’s energy supply. Stations have, until now, had to use diesel generators to meet their power requirements. The 8 6kW turbines have been designed to survive the extreme conditions of the Antarctic including wind gusts of up to 200mph and temperatures of -60°C.

The Belgian station commenced operation on the 15^th of Feburary and aims to minimise it’s ecological footprint as stated in the Antarctic Treaty.