Naked Bathers and Tradition Stymie Japan’s Clean Energy Ambition
- Geothermal power could account for 10% of country’s capacity
- Asian country has world’s third-largest geothermal reserves
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With centuries of tradition on their side, Japan’s horde 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 yen ($174 billion) 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.