Norway erects its first wind turbine in Antarctica

10/03/2025, 13:00

Image: Statsbygg

Norway has erected its first wind turbine in Antarctica at the Troll Research Station in Queen Maud Land. This renewable energy initiative is part of plans for a new, greener Troll station to replace the current 35-year-old facilities.

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“We set up the wind turbine to test the technology at Troll through at least one winter season. On the first day it was windstill, so it had a calm start, but it will get a proper test over the next year on the world’s most harsh weather continent,” said Knut-Ola Lunde, project manager at Statsbygg, the government construction agency.

The new Troll station will accommodate 65 people and incorporate solar and wind power solutions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels that currently power the old station.

“We want greener station operations with lower emissions. Testing wind power at Troll is an important step in this direction, fully in line with our future goals in Queen Maud Land,” said Camilla Brekke, director at the Norwegian Polar Institute which runs the research station.

Over the next year, the test wind turbine will provide production and climate data to size a potential full wind farm. Situated away from the main station to avoid research interference.

“In collaboration with the Polar Institute, consultants and suppliers, this has been a very successful project with all forces pulling in the same direction. We will share our experiences with other interested polar operators, so they too can reduce their fossil fuel climate impact,” said Lunde.

The translation was written by an AI system, though the original text was authored by a human. Read the original article here