A report by scientists from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) on future Antarctic technologies, has highlighted the important role in the immediate future for the Inuit WindSled Project, by reducing the human impact and carbon footprint of National Antarctic Programs (NAPs) in this continent.
The report reflects that there are 80 scientific bases in Antarctica today that must be supplied and that represent a significant carbon impact in the most pristine continent of the planet. Explains how, little by little, renewable energies are gaining momentum. Only between the Australian bases, Mawson and Scott (both with installed wind farms), they already save 463,000 liters of fuel, 11% of the total energy they need, thanks to wind turbines. With this they avoid 1,242 tons of CO2 every year reaching the atmosphere. They also highlight the bet of the Belgian base, Princess Elisabeth, smaller but designed to work 100% with renewable energy.
The researchers -Ashley Fletcher, Bjorn Battaerd, Francesca Mills, Olivia Rees and Tasman Gillies- collect in the document the barriers imposed on scientists by Antarctic polar research, due to its high costs given the remoteness, isolation and environmental factors.
Regarding the issue of transport, they emphasize that the McMurdo station uses light trucks for short distances. Vehicles that travel up to 4.8 km /h with a fuel consumption of 4.25 km /liter of fuel (US Antarctic Program, 2010). The use of light vehicles by land is common in the bases, which provides the opportunity to improve efficiency in a variety of areas if a replacement option is available. Hence, they mention, the growing interest in finding alternatives such as the WindSled, which consumes zero liters and covers thousands of kilometers at an average of 12-15 km /hour.
The research points out that Antarctic science requires a high energy consumption, which historically has been achieved through the burning of animal fat, diesel generators and nuclear energy. Today, fossil fuels are the fundamental energy source in bases, transport, field equipment… It points out that, as the scientific programs in the continent increase, this consumption emitting pollution also does. This is why the use of clean, wind and solar energy in the bases is increasing, also for transportation.
Due to the significant amount of emissions produced by aircraft in the recent past, they explain how more motorized vehicles are used now than before. The one USA uses in its bases, has a weight of 1.8 kg of supplies for each liter of diesel used, as compared to the 0.7 kg that an airplane provides. Thus, 473,000 liters of contaminating fuel emissions could be avoided in a crossing to the South Pole, or for another 40 land crossings. The point is that, as noted above, these vehicle convoys pollute, and much.
In 2010, the US Antarctic Program was already planning to test electric trucks at the McMurdo station in order to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Since then, new developments have taken place in ecological vehicles, among which, the Inuit WindSled Project’s most recent Antarctic model, stand out. Also a mention of the Antarctic Venturi (electric vehicle that can spare as much as 100 barrels of fuel per 1,200 km traveled), which is also promoted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, main sponsoring entity of the 2018/19 WindSled Antarctica Unexplored Dome Fuji campaign. The researchers point out that “regular use of the WindSled (meaning thousands of kilometers of autonomy with zero emissions) and Venturi (for approximately 45 km routes), could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of field expeditions.”
“The use of the WindSled platform has already allowed samples to be obtained without contamination of the surrounding environment. With the WindSled, collected samples can be analyzed ‘in situ’. Being a solar powered laboratory and a transport for sample storage, it can also provide an economical alternative for data provision to a base, which would allow Antarctic exploration efforts to continue without complicated investments. ” (Inuit WindSled – Greenland Net, 2018).
The report notes that ” failure to take measures against 600-800 GtC (gigatons) of global carbon emissions, will make the Western Antarctic ice sheet unstable once again (Winkelmann, Levermann, Ridgewell and Caldeira, 2015), and that the introduction of permanent vehicles that do not pollute, or have fewer emissions, are a strong message to the world of what can be done. “ In fact, it mentions that in recent presentations by Antarctic researchers, program leaders and academics expressed interest in the future development of ecological vehicles in Antarctica, such as the WindSled.
The document concludes that to improve environmental impacts in Antarctica, the obvious response would be to increase funding for polar programs, something that is not considered feasible given the current cuts. Therefore, also considering the strong financial advantage the more renewable energy alternatives propose, strongly reducing costs. The commitment to greater collaboration between bases and programs, in the use of existing infrastructures, instead of creating new ones, is also highlighted: “The opportunity to share research stations would have multiple benefits for NAPs, including shared costs, reduction of human impact, reduction of carbon emissions, and an increase of resources for science. “
And portraying alternatives that use renewable energies as feasible, both in waste management technologies, and transport (the WindSled):“The technologies chosen highlight the opportunity for National Antarctic Programs, NAPS, to reduce their physical impact, carbon footprint, improve scientific practices and foster collaboration in Antarctica.”
Document at: https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10092/16141/Group_3_Technology%5B1%5D.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y