Princess Elisabeth Base
Encyclopedia
Princess Elisabeth Base, located on Utsteinen Nunatak
in Dronning Maud Land (71.57°S 23.20°E) is a Belgian
polar station, taken into use on February 15, 2009. The station is the first polar base that combines eco-friendly construction materials, clean and efficient energy use, optimization of the station's energy consumption and clever waste management techniques.
The station is built against a ridge (The Utsteinen ridge) that is exposed to gales of up to 300 km/h. The station can withstand such strong winds through its aerodynamic shape and its foundation anchoring of several meters deep into the permafrost. The upper deck of the building is the actual station and looks over the ridge edge. The lower deck contains a garage for snowcat vehicles and other utilities. The Princess Elisabeth base is the only zero emission base on the Antarctic. It runs entirely on solar and wind energy. Upon completion it will be connected to nine wind turbines (currently eight) that stretch out along the Utsteinen ridge. It will house up to 16 scientists at a time.
The station is named after Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, granddaughter of Albert II of Belgium
and daughter of Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant.
Utsteinen Nunatak
Utsteinen Nunatak is a nunatak standing 4 nautical miles north of Viking Heights and the main group of the Sør Rondane Mountains. Mapped by Norwegian cartographers in 1957 from air photos taken by U.S...
in Dronning Maud Land (71.57°S 23.20°E) is a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
polar station, taken into use on February 15, 2009. The station is the first polar base that combines eco-friendly construction materials, clean and efficient energy use, optimization of the station's energy consumption and clever waste management techniques.
The station is built against a ridge (The Utsteinen ridge) that is exposed to gales of up to 300 km/h. The station can withstand such strong winds through its aerodynamic shape and its foundation anchoring of several meters deep into the permafrost. The upper deck of the building is the actual station and looks over the ridge edge. The lower deck contains a garage for snowcat vehicles and other utilities. The Princess Elisabeth base is the only zero emission base on the Antarctic. It runs entirely on solar and wind energy. Upon completion it will be connected to nine wind turbines (currently eight) that stretch out along the Utsteinen ridge. It will house up to 16 scientists at a time.
The station is named after Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, granddaughter of Albert II of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
and daughter of Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant.
External links
- Belgian Antarctic Research Station - Princess Elisabeth Station
- Belgian Polar Platform
- The Princess Elisabeth Polar Station: a case study on Constructalia
- Zero-Emissions Station A slideshow about the Princess Elisabeth Station, Allianz Knowledge, July 2008
- COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
- COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map