A Japanese city will start generating electricity from snow

A Japanese city has discovered a new way of disposing of snow instead of disposing it in water or other traditional methods. 

The city wants to turn snow into a source of electricity in the northern Japanese city of Aomori. Together with Tokyo University of Telecommunications, the city will run the study in conjunction with Forte, a nearby information technology firm.

The technology was created by Koji Enoki, an associate professor at the University of Electronic Communications. The method should be able to generate electricity as effectively as solar energy. They are hoping to produce electricity at a low cost through snow.

The Japanese ocean freight forwarder Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) intends to market a comparable system that produces power by taking advantage of the temperature difference between the ocean’s surface and its depths.

By 2025, MOL wants to be able to produce electricity for about 20 (14 cents) per kilowatt-hour. According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan this will cost less in 2030 than both oil-fired thermal power and offshore wind power. 

Compared to deep ocean waters, snow energy offers a bigger temperature difference making it possible to make power from snow at an affordable cost.

There are plans to employ hot springs to produce even bigger temperature changes. There are numerous hot spring resorts in Japan’s northeast that are covered in snow.

Each year, Aomori spends millions removing snow from the city’s roads, typically the snow is thrown into the sea. The heat produced by the plants can effectively create electricity through the system if snow energy becomes available. 

Compared to other renewable energy sources, snow energy is thought to have a less harmful effect on the environment. Kansai Electric Power abandoned plans to erect a wind farm in July because it would have been close to a national park.