Uruguay’s Artigas Base in Antarctica is home to ten research scientists and
15 crew members in summer. The scientific research station was traditionally
powered by diesel generators, but besides the environmental impact, the
logistics involved made the use of fossil fuels an inefficient and costly
method for power generation.
The Uruguayan government selected Technova Renovables to review the
potential and to lead on the integration of renewables at the base. The
project included the delivery and installation of a pioneering solar system
that had to withstand the environmental challenges within this delicate
ecosystem.
With temperatures as low as -90°C, winds of more than 200 km/h and a marine
saline environment, the challenge was to develop, install and test the
performance of PV technology in such harsh conditions.
It was decided to build a 1.2kW pilot plant. Both the extreme temperatures
and the variation in hours of sunlight throughout the year had to be
considered for the installation of the PV system.
The solar panels were mounted vertically on the north facing wall of an
existing machine room and at a significant height to avoid heavy
accumulations of snow over the winter. To provide dependable power feed-in,
industry leading MC4-Evo2 connectors from Stäubli Electrical Connectors were
chosen to connect the panels.
According to Marcelo Mula, executive director of Tecnogroup, the choice of
Stäubli connectors was clear: “Knowing that you are working with experts in
their field is crucial for the successful implementation of PV projects. We
have been working with Stäubli for many years and rely on their high-quality
connectors to ensure a safe and reliable connection as well as steady energy
feed-in.”
MC4-Evo2 connectors are designed for extreme environments with their
resistance to UV and salt-mist spray and their high IP68 rating. Their
outstanding performance is due to their use of MULTILAM technology, a
proprietary contact system from Stäubli that uses torsion spring contact
elements to produce multiple contact points and ensure high reliability and
low contact resistance.
Contributing to the success of the project allowed the connectors to
demonstrate their high reliability even in the most demanding of conditions.
About Stäubli
Stäubli offers innovative mechatronic solutions in three core areas
including Connectors, Robotics and Textile. Founded in 1892, today Stäubli
is an international group headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland with more
than 5,500 employees worldwide. Stäubli has a presence in 29 countries with
production companies, sales and service subsidiaries and is supplemented by
agents in 50 countries.
As a world market leader in the field of connectors, Stäubli manufactures
quick connector systems for all types of fluids, gases and electrical
energy. The Electrical Connectors product portfolio (formerly Multi-Contact)
ranges from miniature connectors to high-performance connectors for power
transmission, industrial automation, transportation, test and measurement.
In Photovoltaics, Stäubli is the global market leader with its MC4 connector
components. The core of all Stäubli electrical connectors is the unique
MULTILAM technology.
