Qinling Station in Antarctica, China’s first year-round research station built in the new era, is celebrating its first anniversary on February 7, 2025. According to the China Polar Research Center, the station's first large-scale renewable energy system is set to be completed, marking a key achievement in green scientific research in the field of polar energy.
Source: CCTV News
Qinling Station in Antarctica, China’s first year-round research station built in the new era, is celebrating its first anniversary on February 7, 2025. According to the China Polar Research Center, the station's first large-scale renewable energy system is set to be completed, marking a key achievement in green scientific research in the field of polar energy.
The station’s energy system has already completed the installation of essential infrastructure, including wind power, solar energy, energy storage batteries, hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, and hydrogen energy generation systems. The system is currently in the debugging phase, which includes testing for hydrogen production, storage, and energy generation, as well as the integration and testing of the wind, solar, storage, and hydrogen microgrid system. Full system integration is expected soon.
Sun Hongbin, President of Taiyuan University of Technology and Chief Scientist of Polar Clean Energy at the China Polar Research Center, described the project as a groundbreaking achievement. “This is the world’s first large-scale clean energy system successfully deployed in Antarctica’s extreme environment. It’s a milestone in polar energy development, with significant breakthroughs in energy system technology,” he said.
Sun also explained that Qinling Station typically experiences its maximum energy load in winter, at around 270 kW, while the average daily energy consumption is about 150 kW. In the newly designed clean energy system, solar and wind power contribute to 60% of the station's total energy capacity. To ensure the system can function effectively in such extreme conditions, Taiyuan University of Technology has built a digital twin laboratory that simulates Antarctica’s harsh environment.
According to the design, the completed clean energy system at Qinling Station will be able to provide up to 2.5 hours of power, with a maximum load of 150 kW during periods with no wind and no sunlight. This capability will ensure that the station’s research equipment and essential living facilities can operate on pure green energy for short periods.