Harnessing Steam Thermoelectric Power from Japanese Hot Springs

Turbo Blade, a company based in southern Japan's Oita Prefecture, is developing and designing industrial equipment for a demonstration testing site in Beppu, famous for its hot springs, to put its "steam thermoelectric power" technology to practical use, in place since March 2012. Jointly developed with other companies, it is a new type of geothermal power generation system that uses lower-temperature hot water.

As a hot springs power generation system, this new type of geothermal power generation can withstand a heated steam temperature of up to 120 degrees Celsius and low pressure, tolerance parameters that were not possible up to now. The heat and pressure of the existing fumarloic energy can be converted to the rotational power of turbines to generate power. Also, after harnessing the energy, the hot water, which until now had been simply discharged as wastewater, can be used as a supply of hot water.

The equipment is small and quiet. The electric power generated can be sold as geothermal power in accordance with Japan's Feed-in Tariff Scheme for Renewable Energy.

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