At the end of 2021, two leading companies in clean energy generation, 360Energy and Genneia, joined forces with the Argentine Joint Antarctic Command to undertake a sustainability-driven project: the development of a solar park to supply renewable energy to Petrel Base in Argentine Antarctica.
Recently, construction began on the concrete foundations that will support the park’s structures, designed to withstand the region’s strong winds (over 200 km/h), along with the installation of the first photovoltaic panels.
The personnel from the Argentine Joint Antarctic Command are responsible for assembling the solar park, with support and supervision from engineers at 360Energy and Genneia. Electrical connection work is expected to begin at the end of March, integrating the solar park with the base’s current power system, which currently relies on fossil fuel-powered generators.
Petrel Base is one of Argentina’s 13 Antarctic bases, located in the Joinville Archipelago at the foot of the Rosamaría Glacier in Petrel Cove on Dundee Island, approximately 1,100 kilometers south of Ushuaia. The base is transitioning back to permanent status (with year-round human presence) as part of a restoration project led by the Joint Antarctic Command, which includes this renewable energy initiative.
With the goal of generating clean energy to supply the future permanent staff of the Base, which is set to become a logistical hub in the region, the solar park covers an area of 800 m² and includes 200 polycrystalline photovoltaic panels that will provide the Base with approximately 50 kW of power.
“We are very pleased to work alongside 360Energy and the Joint Antarctic Command on the development and construction of the solar park at Petrel Base, which will contribute to our commitment to a positive shift in the energy matrix,” said Gustavo Castagnino, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability | ESG at Genneia.
Meanwhile, Maximiliano Ivanissevich, Director of Corporate Affairs and Human Capital at 360Energy, stated:
“Seeing the progress of the solar park at Petrel Base makes us proud of how the joint efforts of private companies and the State—through the Antarctic Command in this case—can achieve concrete results aligned with the sustainability values we share.”
Two leading renewable energy companies, Genneia and 360Energy, developed, designed, and donated the components for the future solar park at Petrel Base, committing to the mission and working together with the Antarctic Command to achieve a milestone in renewable energy generation in our country.