A study of small-scale energy networks of the Japanese Syowa Base in Antarctica by distributed engine generators

•This research considers the construction of a Syowa Base small-scale energy network in the South Pole.•Promotion of green energy utilization was investigated by updating the main power supply of Syowa Base.•The load factors and power generation efficiency are improved when compared with the conventional central power source. Fuel traffic to the Syowa Base of the South Pole is increasing from Japan, with growing research and observation occurring every year. Limits to fuel traffic and the spread of green energy utilization are topics of interest for Syowa Base; this research considers the construction of a Syowa Base small-scale energy network (Syowa Base Micro-Grid: SBMG) for the purposes of reducing fuel consumption and increasing green energy utilization. The number of engine generators, the operation plan for the battery’s charge and discharge, and the introduction of an exhaust heat pump provided a means by which the load factor of the engine generator could be maintained high value from the fluctuations of green energy. This might be accomplished by modifying the main power supply of Syowa Base into a distributed power supply system rather than a conventional central power supply system. The relationship between the amount of green energy (photovoltaics and wind power generation) connected to the proposed power supply distribution and the amount of fuel consumed by the engine generators and backup boiler was clarified. Moreover, the outside temperatures, insulation levels, and wind velocity at the Syowa Base change seasonally, resulting in large changes in the SBMG operation method. Therefore, differences in the operation methods between the proposed power supply distribution system and the conventional central power supply were assessed during the summer (January), winter (July), and mid-season (October), and the resulting differences in fuel consumption were clarified.