Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
- 71.9523.333333333333Koordinaten: 71 ° 57 '0 "S, 23 ° 20' 0" E
The Princess Elisabeth Station is a Belgian polar research station, which was built during the International Polar Year 2007-2008 in Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. The station " Princess Elisabeth" is powered exclusively by solar and wind power with energy. It is the first self-powered zero-emission research station in Antarctica. It was inaugurated on 15 February 2009.
Genesis of the project
After nearly forty years without direct Belgian participation in polar research in Antarctica, at the initiative of the International Polar Foundation (IPF ) and with the support of the Fondation Roi Baudouin Foundation decided, on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the first Belgian Polar Station Base antarctique Roi Baudouin in Antarctica to build a new Belgian scientific polar research station.
Location
The rocky terrain on which the station was built, located at 1,400 m altitude above sea level 180 km from the coast, in an area claimed by Norway between the Japanese Showa Station ( Syowa ) and the Russian ian station Novolazarevskaya, 1500 km apart.
Financing
The cost of building the station will amount to 6.4 million euros, two million euros of which will be borne by the Belgian Government, the remaining 4.4 million euros will be taken over by private sponsors and funded by donations.
The Belgian Ministry of Science Policy for 2008 and 2009 has provided three million euros for research programs and promised funding in the amount of six million euros for the period from 2006 to 2010.
Construction
The aerodynamically designed building of the station is about eighty percent of wood, for the outer walls of laminated timber panels were used made of spruce, between a forty -centimeter thick layer of foam polystyrene and graphite is arranged for thermal insulation. The wood panels are connected by timber beams made of beech wood.
Solar panels on the walls and on the roof of the station and eight wind turbines provide the power supply. For emergencies, there is a diesel generator. The thermal radiation of the building services and the crew is recovered. Three quarters of the waste water is recycled.
Twelve researchers will perform in the station over an area of 700 m² research on several areas, including meteorology, glaciology, the study of terrestrial magnetism, research on microbiology as well as studies on the topic of "climate change".
The Princess Elisabeth Station is designed for a useful life of 25 years, and thus for almost twice as long a period as other stations.
The station was named after Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, born on 25 October 2001 daughter of Belgian King Philippe and his wife Mathilde.