圖1. 2025年8月7日《科學(xué)美國人》頭條

正值創(chuàng)刊180周年之際，全球頂級科普雜志《科學(xué)美國人》（Scientific American）頭條以“中國如何將清潔能源帶入南極嚴(yán)寒黑夜之中（How China Brought Clean Energy to Antarctica’s Frigid Darkness）”為題，詳細(xì)介紹了由太原理工大學(xué)孫宏斌教授牽頭設(shè)計(jì)研發(fā)的中國秦嶺站清潔能源系統(tǒng)，以及由該校牽頭建成的極地清潔能源實(shí)驗(yàn)室，引發(fā)國際廣泛關(guān)注。

圖2. 中國南極秦嶺站

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原文節(jié)選

五年前，該校孫宏斌教授團(tuán)隊(duì)接到了一項(xiàng)在許多人看來“不可能完成”的任務(wù)：在地球極寒之地、直面呼嘯狂風(fēng)與半年極夜，搭建一套完備的清潔能源系統(tǒng)。

Five years ago electrical engineer Sun Hongbin was given what many would consider an impossible task: build a full-fledged clean-energy system amid some of the coldest temperatures on Earth, screaming winds and half-year darkness.

當(dāng)時(shí)，中國正在南極特拉諾瓦灣難言島建造第五座科考站—秦嶺站。恰逢中國政府正倡導(dǎo)“綠色科考”理念，旨在開展南極科考的同時(shí)，保護(hù)這片大陸?yīng)毺赜执嗳醯纳鷳B(tài)環(huán)境。團(tuán)隊(duì)表示：“一套以可再生能源為主、為秦嶺站提供主要能源供應(yīng)的系統(tǒng)，恰好契合這一目標(biāo)”。

China was then building its fifth Antarctic research station, called Qinling, on Inexpressible Island in Terra Nova Bay. And the nation’s government was pushing the concept of “green expeditions” to protect Antarctica’s uniquely fragile environment while studying and surveying the continent. “So having a system that would provide the bulk of Qinling’s energy with renewable power fit that goal,” Sun says.

然而，傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)光裝備難以扛住驟降至-40℃以下的極寒、時(shí)速300公里的狂風(fēng)及猛烈的暴風(fēng)雪。極端條件會(huì)能輕易折斷風(fēng)機(jī)葉片、大幅削弱光伏效能、導(dǎo)致電池充放電異常，而且半年極夜期間不見太陽。為這片地球最寒冷、最黑暗、最偏遠(yuǎn)的大陸打造能源系統(tǒng)是“一個(gè)巨大的挑戰(zhàn)”。

But conventional solar and wind installations are no match for temperatures that plummet below –40 degrees Celsius, winds of up to 300 kilometers per hour (kmh) and ferocious blizzards. Such conditions can snap wind turbine blades, sharply reduce the performance of solar panels, and prevent batteries from charging and discharging properly. And of course, there are the six months of polar night, when the sun never rises above the horizon. “It was a huge challenge” to build a system for the Earth’s coldest, darkest and most remote continent

圖3. 秦嶺站清潔能源系統(tǒng)

為此，秦嶺站清潔能源系統(tǒng)集成了10臺(tái)風(fēng)機(jī)、26套光伏組件、1套氫能系統(tǒng)、1套耐寒鋰離子電池集裝箱，并通過智能電網(wǎng)實(shí)現(xiàn)能源供需精準(zhǔn)預(yù)測和動(dòng)態(tài)平衡。目前該系統(tǒng)已投入運(yùn)行，團(tuán)隊(duì)表示，其有望滿足科考站年均一半的能源需求。

It consists of 10 wind turbines, 26 solar modules, a hydrogen energy system, a container full of frost-resistant lithium-ion batteries and a smart grid that can predict and balance supply and demand. The entire renewable system is now running and, according to Sun, should provide half of the base’s average annual energy needs.

“清潔能源的使用，是維護(hù)南極大陸清潔的重大進(jìn)步?！蔽磪⑴c該項(xiàng)目的韓國國家極地研究委員會(huì)主席金禮東表示，“其他科考站或需學(xué)習(xí)他們?nèi)绾螌?shí)現(xiàn)如此多的清潔能源供應(yīng)，這太了不起了”。

“The use of clean energy is a huge advancement to keep the continent clean,” says Kim Yeadong, chair of the Korean National Committee on Polar Research in South Korea, who was not involved with the project. “Other stations will probably have to learn how they achieve that much clean energy. I think it's remarkable.”

圖4. 秦嶺站所在地——羅斯海沿岸

走向清潔能源（COME CLEAN）

為了克服極端環(huán)境挑戰(zhàn)，該團(tuán)隊(duì)在太原理工大學(xué)建成一座2000平方米的實(shí)驗(yàn)室，專門模擬南極極端天氣條件。該實(shí)驗(yàn)室配備了可將室內(nèi)溫度降至-50℃的溫控系統(tǒng)、最大風(fēng)速達(dá)216公里/小時(shí)的風(fēng)洞，以及迅速制造暴雪的造雪機(jī)。

To overcome those hurdles, Sun and his team built a 2,000-square-meter lab at Taiyuan University to simulate Antarctica’s extreme weather conditions. It features controls that can drop the indoor temperature to –50 degrees C, a wind machine that can blast out gusts of up to 216 kmh and snow generators that can whip up instant blizzards.

圖5. 太原理工大學(xué)極地清潔能源實(shí)驗(yàn)室正在進(jìn)行電池測試

經(jīng)過四年測試，團(tuán)隊(duì)研發(fā)出多款適配南極環(huán)境的可再生能源裝備與系統(tǒng)。其中一款風(fēng)機(jī)設(shè)計(jì)摒棄了傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)車式的葉片結(jié)構(gòu)，采用倒置打蛋器式造型——每片弧形葉片的兩端均固定于中心軸。據(jù)團(tuán)隊(duì)介紹，該設(shè)計(jì)可減少葉片受風(fēng)面積，在捕獲足夠發(fā)電風(fēng)力的同時(shí)最大限度降低結(jié)構(gòu)應(yīng)力，且通過降低機(jī)組重心，有效避免狂風(fēng)中傾倒。

Over four years of testing, the team developed a number of Antarctic-ready renewable energy systems. One design is a turbine that eschews the pinwheel-like blades of a traditional windmill; instead it is shaped like an upended eggbeater, with both ends of each curved blade attached to a central pole. This design reduces the surface area of the blade being pushed on by the wind, minimizing stress on the structure while still capturing enough force to generate electricity. And it lowers the turbine’s center of gravity to help prevent it from toppling in the wind, Sun says.

針對太陽能發(fā)電系統(tǒng)，團(tuán)隊(duì)設(shè)計(jì)了專用支撐框架將電池板固定于地面，使其更能抵御狂風(fēng)暴雪。框架材質(zhì)未采用常見的鋁合金，而是選用纖維增強(qiáng)塑料。團(tuán)隊(duì)解釋道，后者導(dǎo)熱系數(shù)更低，意味著寒潮來襲時(shí)框架溫度變化更為緩慢，因此不易發(fā)生變形。

For the solar power system, a special supporting frame was built to secure the panels to the ground so that they can better weather gales and heavy snow. And instead of the usual aluminum alloy, the frame is made of fiber-reinforced plastic. The latter has lower thermal conductivity, Sun’s team explains, meaning the frame’s temperature changes much more slowly when cold sets in and thus doesn’t deform as easily.

該團(tuán)隊(duì)采取的最關(guān)鍵舉措，或許是將氫能引入秦嶺站，支撐科考站度過漫長黑暗的極夜。為制備可再生氫能，電解槽利用風(fēng)能和太陽能將水分子分解為氧氣和氫氣。孫宏斌教授團(tuán)隊(duì)介紹，氫氣會(huì)儲(chǔ)存于高壓儲(chǔ)罐中，可儲(chǔ)存一年以上；儲(chǔ)罐滿負(fù)荷狀態(tài)下，僅靠氫能即可維持整個(gè)科考站約48小時(shí)運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。發(fā)電時(shí)，氫氣會(huì)被導(dǎo)入燃料電池與空氣中的氧氣發(fā)生反應(yīng)產(chǎn)生電能，副產(chǎn)品只有水和熱。前者被回收用于后續(xù)電解制氫，熱量則儲(chǔ)存起來，在電解槽因低溫?zé)o法運(yùn)行時(shí)為其加熱。

But perhaps the most significant step the team took was bringing hydrogen energy to Qinling to help power the station through the long and dark winter. To produce renewable hydrogen, an apparatus called an electrolyzer is powered by wind and solar energy to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. The latter goes into high-pressure tanks that can store it for more than a year; when full, the tanks alone can keep the entire base running for around 48 hours, according to Sun’s team. To do so, the hydrogen is directed into an electrochemical device called a fuel cell, where it reacts with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, with only water and heat as by-products. The former is recycled to use in further electrolysis, and the latter is stored to warm up the electrolyzer when it becomes too cold to run.

圖6. 秦嶺站逾半能源將來自可再生能源系統(tǒng)

滿負(fù)荷運(yùn)行時(shí)，可再生能源系統(tǒng)可提供秦嶺站能源系統(tǒng)總發(fā)電量的60%，其余40%由柴油發(fā)電提供。但團(tuán)隊(duì)決心進(jìn)一步提升這一比例，并計(jì)劃將清潔能源系統(tǒng)推廣至中國其他極地科考站。加州大學(xué)伯克利分校Daniel Kammen教授評價(jià)：“60%是一個(gè)偉大的起點(diǎn)，但還須進(jìn)一步提升”，“目標(biāo)必須是全年100%可再生能源。”

The renewable system can currently produce 60 percent of the overall output of Qinling’s energy system when it’s running at full blast, with the remaining 40 percent coming from diesel. But Sun and his team are determined to raise that percentage—and to bring clean-energy systems to other Chinese polar bases as well. “Sixty percent is a great start, but one needs to ramp up,” Kammen says. “The goal really needs to be 100 percent renewable energy all year-round.”

COME CLEAN

全文閱讀

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-china-made-an-antarctic-station-run-on-majority-clean-energy/

來源 | 電氣與動(dòng)力工程學(xué)院

責(zé)編 | 樊依青 王志福

排版 | 張華

初審 | 郎宇

復(fù)審 | 郭亮

終審 | 趙國俊

• 信息來源：太原理工大學(xué)。

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