Building Solar Power Units for Scientists
BELARE engineers Guus Luppens and Johan De Muylder have been hard at work building mobile solar-powered devices to provide scientists working in the field with renewable energy to power their equipment. They've built both 1.5 m high mobile solar power units to provide energy to scientific equipment. They've also converted a large container unit with solar panels and mounted it on runners to it can be towed and used to power larger scientific equipment in the field (and even provide energy to power a stove or a coffee maker). The solar-powered container unit has already been deployed to the field where Swiss researchers will take ice radar measurements, while two of the small mobile solar power units will provide energy to a relay antenna at Vesthaugen Nunatak to communicate with the new Perseus Airstrip.
Here you can see the assembly and deployment of some of the first completed devices.
-
Installing solar panels on each side of the mobile container unit.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Bernard and Joffrey install solar panels on the side of the mobile container unit.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Inside the solar-powered mobile container unit, Johan installs inverters and batteries to store the energy generated by the solar panels.
© International Polar Foundation
-
It's a beautiful day to attach solar panels to a container unit!
© International Polar Foundation
-
The weather has been perfect to assemble the new mobile solar-powered units.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Guus and Johan are putting solar panels on every side of the mobile container unit to maximise the energy that can be produced.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Johan and Guus are happy with the fruits of their labour.
© International Polar Foundation
-
At the end of the day, the sun is low on the horizon, and the two engineers cast long shadows as they reflect on all they were able to accomplish during the day.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Several small mobile solar power units are ready to be deployed in the field.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Johan tests the voltage on one of the small mobile solar power units.
© International Polar Foundation
-
The small mobile polar power unit consists of two solar panels, an inverter, and a 24 Volt battery mounted on an aluminium frame.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Transporting the solar-powered container unit to the site where the Swiss scientists from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) will take radar measurements for their research to study how precipitation.
© International Polar Foundation
-
The radar the Swiss scientists will use will be powered by 100% renewable energy!
© International Polar Foundation
-
Guus, Johan, and the Swiss scientists Alexis and Alfonso have arrived at the site where radar measurements will be taken.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Now that they've arrived, they need to check over the equipment.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Checking the connections on the ice radar device.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Guus and Johan make sure the radar is level. If it's not level, then it won't take images of the ice properly.
© International Polar Foundation
-
Mission accomplished! Everyone poses for a photo to commemorate the moment.
© International Polar Foundation
-
The solar powered container unit has been completed and is ready to be used to power the ice radar!
© International Polar Foundation
-
Posing by the solar-powered container unit.
© International Polar Foundation