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Generating Electricity From Snow – Experiment In Niseko This Winter

NISEKO NEWS

Forte, a Japanese startup based in Aomori, will conduct an experiment in Niseko this winter to generate electricity from snow.

 

The company will conduct the experiment in a parking area of a ski resort in Kutchan, installing multiple “snow power generating engines”, each producing 1.8 kilowatts of electricity per hour.

The snow power generator system utilizes the temperature difference between the piled-up snow and a heat source to move the turbine, thereby generating power.

Waste heat from a biomass boiler, fueled with wooden chips, will serve as the heat source.

The snow power generator melts the snow with the waste heat, potentially reducing the cost associated to snow removal as well.

Forte aims to promote this new form of low-impact renewable energy in Niseko, a destination for both domestic and international tourists in the winter.

Source:
Nikkei – 3 September 2023
Image:
Cesar I. Martins (Thumbnail Image)

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