New solar installation in Uruguayan Antarctic

Inverter maker ABB Solar Solutions last year installed the first solar system at the Artigas base, Uruguay’s scientific research station in the Antarctic.

When a second PV system was installed at the site this year by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining; the National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmission; the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute; and Israeli energy and data company SmartGreen, ABB again donated equipment.

The installers had to overcome harsh conditions to complete the work in just three days. In the first project, solar panels were mounted on the walls of the building to minimize wind interference. That, however meant sub-optimal orientation shy of 55 degrees north so the latest array was ground mounted. One of the main challenges encountered was the need to resist wind speeds of up to 200km/h.

The materials for the installation were transported by the ship ROU26 Vanguardia, which carried out the array assembly during the fourth phase of the summer air campaign under the severe climatic conditions typical of May.

As a result, during summer sunshine the installation can generate up to 10% of the energy required by the Artigas base.

The system features ABB’s UNO-DM-6.0-TL inverter (6 kW at 230 VAC 1ph); MCB 40 A 2-pole; and RCD 40 A 300 mA 2-pole as well as 24 270 W solar panels – 12 modules per branch – supplied by Jinko Solar and a connection to the inverter maker’s Aurora Vision plant management portal through the inverter’s integrated wifi interface.