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The sun and wind are the two natural phenomena most often used for renewable energy.

However, a city in the northern part of Japan believes that for this purpose it can "harness" a neglected resource, of which there is an abundance: snow, writes the edition "Nikei", quoted by BTA.

The experiment with the new technology will begin in December in the city of Aomori, known for its heavy snowfall, and will continue until March.

The test will be done in cooperation with "Forte" - a local start-up company in the field of information technologies, and with the Tokyo University of Electrocommunications.

Every year, Aomori spends tens of millions of dollars clearing the roads of snow.

It is usually dumped into the ocean.

The collaborators plan to collect the cleared snow in a pool at a closed school.

In the snow, which is a source of cold air, pipes will be placed to transfer heat.

Meanwhile, the outside air is heated by the sun.

Electricity will be generated by using the temperature difference between the snow and the outside air.

The system was developed by Koji Enoki of the Tokyo University of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

It is believed that this process can produce electricity as efficiently as solar energy.

Electricity from snow is expected to be produced at low cost.

"The greater the temperature differences, the greater the efficiency of energy production," says Enoki.

The researchers also believe that snow energy has a lower environmental impact than other forms of renewable energy.

Melted snow can be disposed of as normal waste water.

The idea of ​​generating electricity from snow was taken from a European start-up company that uses sand for this purpose.

Scientists have developed an environmentally friendly self-healing plastic