Hot Spring Resort Uses Geothermal Heat to Reduce CO2 Emissions

The Regional Council for Global Warming Measures in Nasu Onsen, a famous hot springs resort in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, received a special award on February 10, 2008, at "One Village, One Product Project 2008," a national contest awarding climate change action. Under the slogan of "Stop Global Warming," a total of 1,074 entitie applied to the contest, sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment. After an initial prefectural screening, the Nasu Onsen Council was nominated to the national contest and won the Hot Spring Energy Award for its project to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by using the heat of hot springs.

Established in November 2006 with the participation of stakeholders including hotels, Japanese-style inns and a hot spring company, the Council has been promoting installation of heat pumps to use the heat of hot springs as an alternative energy source to oil. By sending the upwelling thermal water and used hot water to heat pumps, residual and waste heat from the hot springs is used to warm tap water for showers, to heat buildings or to melt snow on streets. Under the prize-winning project, the Council succeeded in reducing a total of 189.1 tons of CO2 emissions from three facilities during the period April to July 2007.

Deeply impacted by an unprecedented flood disaster in 1998, Nasu Town has been strongly concerned about global warming.

http://www.jccca.org/content/view/1058/620/

Posted: 2008/06/11 12:18:23 PM