Summary

Princess Elisabeth Station is a research station funded bythe Belgian government in Antarctica. The site is exposedto winds of up to 300km/hour. This combined with the factthat it is only sunny for half the year and faces extremetemperatures made for very challenging conditions for afacility to run entirely on alternative energy. Architectscontacted Tigo Energy to see if they would be able toaddress their remote monitoring concerns and help thestation run as smoothly as possible.

The Solution

Tigo Energy’s optimizers have allowed researchers to viewconditions at the site and notify them of any issues on thearray. They were immediately notified when a storm blewtwo panels off the array, which proved to be an invaluablealert as the scientists packed two more solar modules withthem when they returned to the site in summer. Keepingthe station to zero-emissions is an essential part ofpreserving the environment in the Antarctic. With the helpof Tigo Energy optimizers, this station has produced clean,smart solar energy for over two years now.

Land of Eternal Sunshine

While the sun doesn’t shine on this part of the world fornearly 6 months a year, the solar panels quickly make upfor it once summer comes. Figure 4, above, shows theenergy production of the modules at midnight onDecember 20th, 2012. Because the system is so far south,energy is produced 24 hours a day for several monthsduring the summer.