Extreme Power: After a Ten-Year Planning Phase, Specially Adapted Wind Turbines Are Now Exceeding Expectations at Mawson Station in Antarctica, Showing the Way Ahead for Wind Power Engineering in the Most Severe Conditions

Pyper, Wendy, Ecos

WIND IS A RESOURCE Antarctica has in wild abundance. Driven by gravity as air cools above the Pole, its 300 km/h katabatic winds are infamous. Taking on the ultimate challenges such an unforgiving landscape throws down, scientists and engineers from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) have harnessed this resource to supply up to 80% of the energy needs of Mawson Station. Australia is the first nation to success fully attempt a large scale wind power project in Antarctica to reduce the effects of diesel use.

Last summer, two 300 kW Enercon E30 wind turbines were installed at the station, and a third may be installed in the 2004-05 summer. In combination with diesel generators running at one-third capacity, the turbines are currently supplying 65% of the station's needs. …

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Publication information: Article title: Extreme Power: After a Ten-Year Planning Phase, Specially Adapted Wind Turbines Are Now Exceeding Expectations at Mawson Station in Antarctica, Showing the Way Ahead for Wind Power Engineering in the Most Severe Conditions. Contributors: Pyper, Wendy - Author. Magazine title: Ecos. Issue: 116 Publication date: July-September 2003. Page number: 8+. © 1999 CSIRO Publishing. COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group.

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