Norway has installed solar panels in the Svalbard archipelago, a group of islands located 1300 km from the North Pole. The region experiences perpetual darkness during winters and receives round-the-clock sunlight during summers. It is also only accessible by boat or helicopter.
The neatly arranged 360 panels in Svalbard’s field represent a pilot project that could facilitate the shift to green energy for remote Arctic communities. At present, the solar plant will provide solar energy to an old shipping radio station, Isfjord Radio, which has been turned into a tourist base camp.
The project is believed to be the northernmost ground-mounted PV system globally and the first of its kind in the Arctic region. The solar panels in the region will benefit from the ‘albedo effect’, where the reflection of sunlight from the ice surface will boost generation. Also, as the panels will remain cooler, the PV efficiency is projected to be higher in the region.
Additionally, 100 panels have been placed on the roof of the radio station. Solar will meet nearly 50% of the energy needs of the building, which previously was powered by diesel generators.
The project’s goal is to see if the technology can be used to power around 1,500 households in the region that do not have access to traditional grid electricity.
“We want to make Isfjord Radio a test site to get an Arctic-proven technology that we can afterwards take to other locations like this,” said Mons Ole Sellevold, renewable energies technical adviser at state-owned energy group Store Norske.
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Resource: ET Energy
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