Three wind turbines at an Antarctic research station are helping power U.S. and New Zealand bases while cutting diesel use by about 122,000 gallons a year. In one of the harshest places on Earth, a small renewable-energy system is doing a very practical job.
The value is not only symbolic. Less diesel means fewer emissions, less fuel to transport and store, and a cleaner way to support the scientists working in remote conditions. It is an encouraging example of renewable energy solving an immediate logistical problem.