The coolest wind farm in the world
New Zealand-United States collaboration
The rationale for the Ross Island project evolved from several factors. These include wind energy's oft-cited environmental benefits, a need to reduce on-ice research costs, and desire by both the United States and New Zealand to demonstrate environmental sustainability leadership. There's also a fantastic wind resource, and importantly, the need to balance New Zealand's contribution to the Antarctic logistics pool.
Because of the Antarctic's remote and challenging nature, and a long-standing agreement between the United States and New Zealand to pool and share resources, the McMurdo and Scott Base research stations have a close association. As part of our government's contribution to the United States/
New Zealand joint logistics pool, the project has been developed under an alliance between Meridian Energy (Meridian) and Antarctica New Zealand, with key support from the United States Antarctic Program.
"New Zealand picked up the opportunity to provide a wind farm for the island in part as a way to 'do its share' and because of our considerable knowledge of wind farm construction, operation and maintenance," Mr Bennett says.
The project has had a core team of six – and at times up to 15 – based in Antarctica throughout the construction period over two summer seasons. "We are very conscious that each worker is occupying a research scientist's place, and with overhead costs of $1,000 per person per night, there are plenty of incentives to keep the project timeframe tight. The construction team typically works 10-hour days, six days a week."
The construction phase – overseen by Site Manager Jonathan Leitch – began in November 2008; by the end of February 2009 the three turbine foundations and the electricity network connecting the two research stations were installed. Over the 2009/2010 summer, the turbines were erected and connected to the grid.
Operated by Antarctica New Zealand, the Scott Base research station houses up to 86 people each season, and generates an average electricity load of around 150 kilowatts. By comparison, the American McMurdo Station – operated by the National Science Foundation – is the largest of all the Antarctic research stations, with capacity for 1,250 people and an average electricity load of 1.6 megawatts (ten times that of Scott Base). Although operated by different countries, the two facilities are only five kilometres apart.
The Crater Hill wind farm site is ideally placed to serve both bases, as it is roughly halfway between them. It is also one of the few Ross Island sites without ice cover, although the permafrost starts about 20 centimetres below the surface. Being ice-free was a considerable advantage for the project team, enabling the turbine foundations to be accurately and firmly placed – a critical factor at any wind farm site, but particularly important when wind speeds reach up to 240 kilometres an hour.
