Research begins to generate electricity from snow in Japan

Research has started in a northeastern Japanese city to generate electricity from unwanted snow with the aim of securing a renewable energy source to cover potential power shortages.

The city of Aomori, which sees heavy snow every year, started a trial in a swimming pool at an abandoned elementary school in December to explore the feasibility of producing energy by utilizing the temperature difference between stored snow and the surrounding air.

In the joint project, local IT startup Forte Co. and the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo are looking to power a turbine with energy prod...