For decades, Antarctica has served as a hub for scientific exploration, housing research outposts like the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The station, renowned for its climate change and cosmology studies, relies solely on nonrenewable diesel fuel for energy.
However, a recent study by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests that renewable energy could offer a viable alternative. Published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, the analysis explores the feasibility of integrating renewable energy sources into the energy mix of the South Pole Station.
Lead author Amy Bender, a physicist at Argonne who has worked at the South Pole, highlights the study as a starting point for transitioning to renewables. The analysis outlines potential energy sources, carbon savings, and implementation strategies.
The study primarily examines the viability of utilizing solar energy during the austral summer (November-February) to substantially reduce diesel fuel consumption. Ralph Muehleisen, Chief Building Scientist at Argonne, emphasizes the potential carbon footprint reduction achievable by using solar energy as a backup during the summer months.
Sue Babinec, program lead for stationary storage at Argonne, emphasizes the importance of tailored energy storage solutions for renewable energy projects in remote locations like Antarctica. The study delves into the specific battery requirements for sustained energy provision in such extreme environments.
Nate Blair, a group manager at NREL, underscores the increasing feasibility of renewable energy deployment, citing declining costs for solar, wind, and batteries. Blair highlights the resilience and reliability benefits of combining renewables with existing diesel generators.
Using NREL’s Renewable Energy Integration and Optimization software, the team projects significant cost savings from replacing 95% of diesel fuel with renewable energy sources. The initial investment of $9.7 million could yield approximately $57 million in savings over 15 years, with a payback period of just over two years.
However, implementing such a plan poses logistical challenges, including transporting equipment across treacherous terrain to the South Pole. Muehleisen emphasizes the global significance of decarbonizing Antarctica, highlighting its potential as a catalyst for broader renewable energy adoption worldwide.
The study, authored by Bender, Babinec, Blair, Muehleisen, and others, was supported by the DOE. It signals a promising step towards reducing reliance on nonrenewable energy sources in one of the most remote regions on Earth.