The development of renewable sources continues in Antarctica. After the construction of a wind farm, which took place in 2018, the Italian base "Mario Zucchelli" was equipped with the first photovoltaic plant.
The news was revealed by Enea who, in a press release, specifies that the completion and entry into operation took place during the 34th Summer Campaign of the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), financed with 23 million by the Miur, implemented by the Enea for the logistical aspects and by the CNR for scientific planning and coordination.
The plant was built by Enea's experts and had to pass very rigorous tests before going into operation. The aim was to make sure that the plant was able to "withstand" the extreme environmental conditions that characterize Antarctica, with temperatures that can reach -40 degrees Celsius and katabatic winds blowing at speeds of up to 200 km/h.
For this reason, solar panels have been installed on the roof of the main body of the structure, which has undergone a complete renovation to improve the thermal insulation of the station.
“In this expedition the solar power plant produced around 12 kWh of electricity with a maximum power of 35 kW, saving around 3.700 liters of fossil fuel and 6 tons of CO emissions2 avoid to the environment”, says Enea.
In November, the plant will be able to produce 50 kWh, equal to 15% of the total energy needs of the Zucchelli Station.
“The plant, with a total power of 62,5 kWp, is made up of 250 monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules with a unit power of 250 Wp, anchored by means of a special metal structure, designed ad hoc, to the new roof of the main body which it houses the laboratories and offices of the Station”, explains Francesco Pellegrino, technical manager of the Zucchelli Station.
"The interest in this type of plant arose from the possibility of exploiting solar energy during the Antarctic summer without the need to use an electrochemical storage, with considerable simplifications in terms of management and maintenance", says Pellegrino, adding that soon the power of the plant will be increased. "The target is a reduction of the annual consumption of fossil fuels of at least 30-40%, with advantageous effects in economic terms associated with the supply, transport and storage of the same and significant benefits in terms of environmental impact on the Antarctic site" , concludes Pellegrino.
