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By Peter Rejcek
Get wind of this: Antarctica New Zealand will tap into
the naturally blustery conditions around Ross Island to
help power its research station and the U.S. Antarctic
Program’s McMurdo Station .
The U.S. Antarctic Program and Antarctica New Zealand
have collaboratively designed and planned a proof-of-concept
project to demonstrate and quantify the viability of wind
power. The project will build the world’s southernmost
wind farm beginning in November 2008 with construction
of three, 330-kilowatt wind turbines on a site called
Crater Hill overlooking New Zealand’s Scott Base.
Antarctica New Zealand will lead the estimated $10 million
(New Zealand dollars) project and will cover the bulk
of the cost as part of its enhanced contribution to the
shared logistics pool with the U.S. Antarctic Program,
which does much of the heavy lifting on behalf of both
countries in transporting fuel, people and materials to
the continent.
“New Zealand is dedicated to the Antarctic Treaty
principles of environmental protection and, as such, is
committed to reducing the environmental impacts of its
operations,” said Lou Sanson, chief executive of
Antarctica New Zealand, in a press release earlier this
year.
The project will cut fuel consumption by approximately
463,000 liters every year, an 11 percent savings. Wind-generated
electricity will also reduce greenhouse gas production
by 1,242 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually. CO2 is
a key greenhouse gas, the main culprit in global warming.
“This is a significant reduction in the carbon footprint
on the world’s most pristine continent,” Sanson
said.
George Blaisdell, Operations manager for the National
Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs , said
the United States is committed to exploring the use of
alternative energy where possible. The USAP will probably
look to test a mixed solar and wind power design at South
Pole Station for an area called Summer Camp that provides
housing during the busy summer season.
“Right now it’s a concept,” he said.
McMurdo and Scott Base , about 3 kilometers apart, have
a combined average electricity demand of 1.7 megawatts.
Annual fuel requirements for power production for the
two stations are almost 5 million liters. Space heating
needs consume an additional 2.7 million liters of fuel.
New Zealand's Scott Base.“All wind-generated electricity
will flow into the McMurdo distribution system, and Scott
Base will draw electricity via [an] interconnector,”
explained Claire Shaw, a spokesperson for Meridian Energy
, the New Zealand company heading the development, construction,
operation and management of the project.
“Effectively, wind energy will in the first instance
meet the Scott Base electrical demand, and then McMurdo
electrical demand,” she said via e-mail. “As
the installed capacity is considerably in excess of the
Scott [Base] electrical demand, much of the time, wind-generated
energy will be supplying a portion of the McMurdo demand.”
McMurdo will consume about 66 percent of the energy generated
by the experimental wind farm, while Scott Base will use
the rest. That represents about 15 percent of McMurdo
Station’s annual electricity demand, but about 87
percent of Scott Base’s. Currently, both stations
draw all of their electrical and heat demand from diesel
generators and diesel-fired boilers.
Antarctica New Zealand and Meridian have been investigating
the project since early 2005.
“[The wind farm will produce] enough energy for
20 to 25 U.S. homes for a year,” said Ralph Giardino,
the USAP project manager coordinating U.S. support for
the wind farm. “We’re providing logistics and
transportation support.”
The USAP will upgrade roads to Crater Hill, as well as
conduct site surveys and provide various supplies and
equipment to support the construction. In addition, the
USAP will transport all equipment to the Crater Hill site.
Said Shaw, “The success of this project is reliant
on USAP support, not only to transport the equipment and
staff to Ross Island, but also in terms of providing key
support services throughout the installation and commissioning
of the project.”
During the first construction season, crews will install
the steel and concrete foundation for the three turbines,
which are 40 meters tall. Each wind turbine foundation
consists of eight 13-ton pre-cast concrete foundation
blocks. The three-bladed turbines will be erected the
following season, with the wind farm operational by February
2010.
If the Crater Hill wind farm is successful, a second
phase could include up to 10 more turbines. The location
for this second project is still under discussion. One
location, Arrival Heights, could support the larger system,
but the area overlooking McMurdo Station is an Antarctic
Specially Protected Area . The site enjoys special protection
under the Antarctic Treaty because of the presence of
sensitive instruments that record upper atmosphere data.
A 10-turbine wind farm would produce enough energy to
power a small town, Giardino said of the proposed second
stage.
Added Blaisdell, “There is hope we can indeed move
past proof-of-concept to a full production wind farm providing
perhaps 40 to 60 percent of McMurdo’s power needs
and 100 percent of Scott Base’s needs.”
An alternative site along a recreational trail north
of McMurdo Station could support about four wind turbines.
Shaw said the German-made machines are well matched for
the cold Antarctic climate. “The technology is suited
for low temperature operation and has been proven in the
Antarctic with two slightly smaller model machines installed
at the Australian Antarctic Division’s Mawson Station
.”
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