China's Qinling Station in Antarctica wraps up summer missions

China's Qinling research station in Antarctica has successfully completed its summer missions, securing its reliable operation during the harsh winter months.

By late February, Qinling Station, China's fifth research station in Antarctica, had installed key infrastructure, including solar panels, wind turbines, hydrogen power systems, a satellite ground station and an outdoor service network, marking the completion of its exterior construction.

The station's renewable energy system is now operational, featuring a hydrogen power room and storage tank, 26 solar panels, 10 wind turbines and other supporting facilities.

The outdoor utility network, spanning approximately 1,700 meters, integrates power and water pipelines to connect essential areas of the station, ensuring seamless functionality.

"During the summer mission, we completed the installation of the renewable energy system, communication system, and essential indoor facilities such as seawater desalination, wastewater treatment and water collection systems. These facilities are crucial for our winter operations. The successful testing and functioning of these systems ensure smooth work progress and lay the foundation for the station's long-term operation," said Wang Zhechao, director of the Qinling Station.

The Qinling Station is the first of China's Antarctic research stations to operate on clean energy from multiple sources.

"The station's new energy system primarily incorporates wind, solar, hydrogen energy and battery storage. It is a multi-source renewable energy system tailored for Antarctic research stations. After two months of work, the installation and testing are nearly complete, and we now have clean energy powering the station," said the station chief.