Airport Will Use Snow for 30% of Cooling Needs

Japan is on a roll today—first we took a look at NTT’s electricity-generating shoe, and now New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido has announced that it will use snow collected during the winter to provide 30 percent of its cooling needs in the summer.

The project, which will be completed by 2010, could potentially reduce CO2 emissions by 2,100 tons compared to the Chitose terminal’s current cooling system.

Japanese officials estimate that 45 percent of snow collected during the winter could be retained until September with the use of heat-insulating materials. The remaining snow could chill the liquid in the airport’s cooling system

I see no reason why other areas of the world that receive heavy snowfall shouldn’t use a similar system, as New Chitose Airport is proving that sometimes working with nature yields the best results.