Electricity in Isolation: the progress of power generation in Antarctica.

• Main Author: Calder-Steele, Nicole
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 2013
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/13873

This review outlines the development of power generation technologies in Antarctica, their downfalls and the increasingly popular eco-friendly alternatives to traditional methods. Power generation in Antarctica is a rapidly developing field considering its relatively short history. Demonstrated in this review is how quickly power generating technologies have developed in less than 100 years on the continent. Generation has progressed from the heroic age in Antarctica where blubber was burnt, to a diesel dominated lifestyle where diesel generators were utilised in almost every base as the predominant means of power supply. Management of diesel and dealing with the effects of its use were not fully realised until the rise of environmental awareness. Here alternative, eco-friendly power generation methods were investigated. With a range of renewable energy generation methods considered, solar and wind generation have, thus far, been selected as the emerging energy technologies on the continent. These new technologies require less maintenance, are cheaper to run long term, and produce fewer emissions so are ultimately better for both the environment and humans alike.