Morten Hervik, Ravn Rydtun and Nils K. Schøyen have now started the work of turning the solar panel and the rest of the equipment they brought with them in the container into a power station. 

- We are going to install a set of batteries, along with solar panels and wind turbines. Once we have the power up and running, we can start calibrating the sensors and receive the first data, explains Nils K. Schøyen.

Background:

In close and good collaboration with the Norwegian Polar Institute, a seismo-acoustic array station funded by the Research Council of Norway will be established. This is a network of several seismometers and infrasound sensors (acoustic sensors) placed in a geometric pattern to improve detection, localisation and characterisation of seismic events (such as earthquakes, explosions, volcanic activity) and sounds in the atmosphere.

It was originally planned to be established at Troll, but because the government has decided to upgrade the Troll research station and among other things install a wind power plant for green energy, NORSAR had to move the measurement station away from this facility.  The direct reason is the noise the wind turbines will create. The extra funding to relocate the station came from the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD).
 

Morten and Ravn share what they have worked on since the New Year:

The time has mostly been spent on container work. The container arrived a few days after the New Year with the transport from the ice edge. They were a few days delayed due to bad weather while on the way in, and had to stop until the weather improved.

We managed to unload the container and the walls were erected and attached inside it. The transport out was carried out with one of the station’s "Trolldyr". A beast of 50 tonnes with a side loader for loading and transport of containers. In short, a tracked truck. We had to wait a few days as the route up to Armlenet had to be secured again with ground radar. On the previous transport of an excavator to Armlenet, one of these machines had barely broken through the ice. We got the green light and set off.

Various equipment in Arctic landscape
 

After a three-hour drive, we got up to Armlenet with the valuable cargo and placed it on the bottom frame. We bolted together the top and bottom frames using various straps and pulleys to press everything together. Finally, we built a platform and stairs that provide access to the container.

We have had a few days of bad weather, during which we tested how the construction holds up. Now the work has started on turning this into a power station. We will install one tonne of batteries, together with solar panels and wind turbines. Once we have the power running, we can start calibrating the sensors and receive the first data.