Antarctica Research Station is Zero Emission
February 16th, 2009 | 
Author: New Polar Research Station is Powered by Wind Turbines and Solar Panels
PRINCESS ELISABETH BASE, Antarctica – The world’s first zero-emission polar research station opened in Antarctica and was welcomed by scientists as proof that alternative energy is viable even in the coldest regions.
Pioneers of Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth station in East Antarctica said if a station could rely on wind and solar power in Antarctica — mostly a vast, icy emptiness — it would undercut arguments by skeptics that green power is not reliable.
Global warming, spurred by greenhouse gas emissions, has prompted governments to look for alternative energy sources. And renewable energies are gaining a foothold in Antarctica, despite problems in designing installations to survive bone-chilling cold and winter darkness.
Wind and even solar power are catching on — solar panels on the Antarctic Peninsula can collect as much energy in a year as many places in Europe.
Thomas Leysen, chairman of Belgium’s Umicore, a leading manufacturer of catalysts for cars who attended the ceremony, said it made good business sense for companies to help protect the environment.
“The global credit crisis is a result of unsustainable behavior. We can’t deal in an unsustainable way with our planet otherwise we will also face a crisis which will be even bigger than the credit crisis,” he said.
Posted in Awesome, Go Green, Renewable Energy, Solar Power | 
Tags: Alternative Energy, anarctica research station, green polar station, Solar Power, Wind Power
In one hour, the sun provides the earth with enough energy to power the planet for a year.
We just need to harness that energy more efficiently.
Burning fossil fuels for energy isn’t going to work for much longer, and it isn’t good for our planet.