DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHWAY SNOW MELTING TECHNOLOGY USING NATURAL ENERGY

The principal method used to deal with snow on Japanese roads is snow removal, but in recent years, the prohibition on spike tires has increased the importance of measures to prevent freezing of road surfaces, and in an effort to reduce the amount of energy consumed by snow removal and snow melting equipment, highway snow melters are being introduced. Conventional snow melting technology which involves the use of heating wires and the spraying of water is plagued by problems: obtaining water, ground subsidence, etc., and high maintenance costs. In recent years, efforts have been made to replace this method by developing roadway snow melting technology that uses various kinds of natural energy. The following methods are being explored: underground water sources or steam; storing heat underground and circulating it under pavements; and using electricity generated by wind power.