Technical and economic evaluation of the utilisation of wind energy at the SANAE IV base in Antarctica

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The cost of powering Antarctic research stations by conventional diesel electric generatorsystems is high (Steel, 1993). In order to reduce these costs and airborne pollution due tothe combustion of fossil fuels, an investigation into renewable energy sources has beenconducted, with the focus on wind turbine energy generation. The aim was to see whethera wind turbine is feasible, both technically and economically, for partial energy productionat the SANAE IV base. The existing diesel electrical generators will still be used for thebase demand, when there is not enough wind or when the energy demand is more than canbe produced by the wind turbine.The work accomplished for this study explains and motivates a MSc. (Eng.) thesis on thefeasibility of installing wind electricity generators at Antarctica. This evaluation was donefor the South African research station SANAE IV in Antarctica. It provides information onthe literature consulted to date, the theoretical and practical work covered, the theoreticalinvestigations, the results obtained and future implementations. Also included in this workwas a trip to Antarctica, so that all the relevant data, like wind speeds and wind directioncould be measured. Another reason for having done the trip was to do an energy audit forSANAE IV, so that the energy demand for the base could be established. The energydemand of the base varies among other factors, for summer and winter conditions, for dayand night conditions, and for population variations. With the information obtained duringthe trip, the theoretical evaluation of a possible wind turbine system was performed.With the aid of the data from the 6 m wind mast, wind profiles have been established, fromwhich Wei bull distributions were obtained, and the energy output from 5 different windturbines, in the range between 10 kW and 100 kW, were calculated. The annual energyproduction of the 100 kW wind turbine is 430 MWh with a capacity factor of 49 %. Theannual energy demand of the base amounts to 1153 MWh, thus the wind turbine couldcontribute up to 30 % of the power needed at the base taking losses, such as availabilityand maintenance losses, into account.From the automatic weather station of the South African Weather Services, positioned atSANAE IV, wind speed and direction data for the year 2001 was obtained and this datawas analyzed. The results show that the winds at SANAE IV are highly directional,coming mostly from an eastern and southeastern direction. This highly directional windpattern is well suited for wind turbine application. The average wind speed, beingmeasured at 10m height, is 10.8 m/s and the hourly averaged maximum wind speed for theyear 2001 is 38.9 mls.From the wind analysis, site survey, cold weather issues and connection to the electricitygrid of the base, it becomes evident that the North Wind NWIOO/19 100 kW wind turbineis the best-suited wind turbine for installation at SANAE IV. One of the major advantagesof the NW100/19 is that it features a tilt-up tower erecting system that enables the windturbine to be installed without the use of a crane. The NW100/19 is the only turbine ratedat 100 kW, with this feature.From the economic analysis it is evident that a wind turbine, with the complete installation,operation and maintenance costs, features a break even period of 10 years, when installed atSANAE IV. This relatively short breakeven period, considering that the life of the turbineis 30 years, originates from the fact that the average wind speed at the base is about 11 mis,which is relatively high and yields enormous power productions. This wind turbineoperates for approximately 80 % during a year, which is very high, making this renewableenergy source very attractive as a power-generating source for SANAE IV. The cost perkWh produced by the wind-diesel system is R1.63/kWh, while the cost per kWh producedby the current diesel generators, satisfying the power demand of the base, is R1.94/kWh.Thus the hybrid system can reduce the cost of power produced by almost 20 %, whichagain demonstrates the attractiveness of using wind power at SANAE IV.From an environmental point of view, the use of wind power at SANAE IV is favorable,since a wind turbine has minimal effects on the environment at Antarctica. The cost ofemissions and fuel spills were calculated for SANAE IV. The fuel saving, resulting fromthe operation of a wind turbine at SANAE IV, converts to a saving in externalities of aboutR500 000.00 per year, using an evaluation method that was applied to remote Alaskanvillages.It can therefore be concluded that the aims of the project have been fully accomplished andthat the use of wind power at SANAE IV is indeed a very attractive option, regarding allthe criteria mentioned above. When it is being decided that a budget will be provided for awind turbine installation, the economic analysis has to be refined, due to the uncertainty ofthe market value of the South African currency.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University