Mawson wind farm
Two 300 kW wind turbines were installed at Mawson in 2003 and now make a significant contribution to the station's power requirements.
The Mawson wind turbine system ranks among the world's most innovative, and is capable of providing 600 kW of renewable power. Australia is the first country to obtain a significant electricity supply for its Antarctic stations fuelled by the most powerful winds on the planet.
Studies in the early 1990s revealed that the constant katabatic winds blowing from the inland of the continent make Mawson ideally situated to generate the bulk of its energy requirements with wind turbines.
The AAD worked closely with a German turbine manufacturer (Enercon) and an Australian company (Powercorp Pty Ltd) to install the turbines and the associated computerised powerhouse control system in early 2003.
For information on how the wind turbines are integrated into the Mawson power grid, follow this link to the electrical energy system at Mawson.
