With centuries of tradition on their side, Japan¡¯s hordes of naked bathers remain unmoved by the island nation¡¯s bid to tap a rich reserve of power equivalent to about 20 nuclear reactors.
The resource-poor country, which last year spent ?18.2 trillion importing fossil fuels, has the world¡¯s third-largest geothermal reserves, representing an estimated 23 gigawatts of power, according to the International Energy Agency¡¯s geothermal division. Less than 600 megawatts, or about 2 percent, of that capacity is being used at the moment, according to the agency.
The nation¡¯s onsen (hot springs) have been in use for more than a millennium as communal baths. Additionally, to this day, heat bubbling up from below the Earth¡¯s surface is used in some mountain villages to boil eggs or to keep roads free of winter snow and ice.
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