Science Centres: Energy

Wind on the ice

At the moment, electricity for Scott Base, Antarctica, is generated from imported fuel which is costly and has to be handled with care. NIWA has provided Meridian Energy with full instrumentation to monitor the wind at Scott Base for a year. The project is being undertaken in partnership with Antarctica NZ, and is designed to determine whether wind energy could be used on a small scale for some electricity generation on the ice.

The wind monitoring project uses a 20-metre high mast. Instruments on the mast measure wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure. Meridian provided the mast, guys, and anchors; NIWA specified and provided the other equipment. The station was installed by Antarctica NZ staff. They now routinely download the data and maintain the 12 volt batteries required to power the site.