Norway’s ‘Snow For The Future’ Initiative Attracts Strong Interest
As the world tries to make progress to limit climate change, researchers are finding ways to adapt to warmer winter temperatures - by developing environmentally friendly ways of producing artificial snow.
A team of Norwegian researchers has been awarded a NOK 2.3 million grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture to develop a new approach to snowmaking - one that would allow snow to be made in an energy-efficient way, even at warmer temperatures. The project was named “Snow for the Future”.
The initiative was launched in January 2017 by the Norwegian Ski Federation and Trondheim municipality, together with researchers from SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest independent research organisations, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
On 10th November 2017, all parties came together to plan the second phase of the project with the main objective to get as many industrial partners involved as possible.
“Developing good partnerships between the industry and researchers will be tremendously important. I am confident that we will achieve some good results, but working together will be key. Not many Norwegian Ski Federation projects have attracted as much interest as this – both nationally and internationally’”, said Erik Røste, President of the Norwegian Ski Federation.
Traditional snowmaking makes up for a lack of snow by spraying water into cold air, and letting physics do the rest. But if temperatures are above freezing, this simply won’t work, for obvious reasons.
Researchers at SINTEF, Scandinavia’s largest independent research institute, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have worked extensively with a type of technology called a heat pump. They think that heat pumps could be key to producing snow in an environmentally friendly way, even at higher temperatures. Your refrigerator and freezer are examples of appliances that use heat pumps to regulate temperatures.
Temperature independent snowmaking
“One of the main aims of the project will be to find out how we can produce snow regardless of the outdoor temperature, and to develop energy-efficient ways of doing it,” says Petter Nekså, an energy research scientist at SINTEF.
Nekså thinks that one feasible approach is to develop heat pumps where the cold side can be used to produce snow, while the warm side is used for heating.
“If the air outside is cold, traditional snow cannons work very well. But these are temperature dependent,” says Nekså. “At higher temperatures, you need a refrigeration plant to make snow. The advantage is that the process is independent of air temperatures.”
What can make the process energy efficient is heating a building with the heat generated by the heat pump as it cools water to be made into snow, Nekså says.
“In this way, we can heat indoor facilities while also making artificial snow for ski slopes outside – virtually cost free,” he says.
The approach involves adapting current heat pump technology, says Jacob Stang, one of Nekså’s colleagues at SINTEF.
“A traditional snow production facility that makes snow at zero degrees outdoors has no ‘hot side’,” Stang says. “That means we need a heat pump that has the properties of a refrigeration plant. We have to adapt components, such as an evaporator and condenser, to get them to work together.”
Smart snow storage
The project will be conducted in collaboration with the city of Trondheim, where SINTEF and NTNU are based, and the Norwegian Ski Federation (NSF).
The researchers are also hoping to develop better ways of storing snow, which is an approach many ski areas use as a hedge against warmer temperatures.
Currently, many ski area use sawdust to store artificial snow that can be spread on slopes and trails when the weather doesn’t deliver the white stuff on its own. While this is a proven approach, over time the sawdust loses its insulating properties and has to be replaced.
The project will also identify new ways of making sure that ski areas get as much benefit as they can out of manufactured snow. The researchers will look at everything from the design and drainage of ski runs, to protection from sun and rain, salting and snow preparation.
Learning from the fishery sector
Researchers will conduct lab experiments, use computer models and simulations, create prototypes and undertake field tests.
“Norway has a long tradition and expertise in this field,” says Trygve M. Eikevik, a professor in NTNU’s Department of Energy and Process Engineering. “The fishery sector produces around 300 thousand tonnes of ice each year for fish export. This is enough to cover an 8-metre-wide, 150-kilometre-long ski trail with a layer of ice that is 0.5 metres thick. It is more than possible to manufacture snow for skiing.”
The NSF hopes the project will increase the chances that Norway will be able to host World Championships in skiing in the future, but officials are most concerned about maintaining skiing as a pastime in Norway.
Communities across the country promote skiing by maintaining easily accessible, lighted and groomed ski trails and encouraging ski clubs. This strong system recruits young people to skiing, which has led to Norway’s prominence in both alpine and cross-country ski competitions. It also helps keep people healthy, by encouraging them to get outside to exercise in the winter.
Future snow parks
“The challenges posed by climate change represent perhaps the greatest threat to ski sports. This is why we’re very pleased that this project is taking off,” says Marit Gjerland, who is a ski run consultant for the NSF. “Good results from the project will mean a lot for the future of ski sports.”
FACTS:
Phase 1 of “Snow for the Future” has been granted NOK 2.3 million from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The NSF, the Norwegian Biathlon Federation, the Norwegian Sports Federation, the municipality of Trondheim and the Sør-Trøndelag County Council have also contributed to the project, bringing the total budget to NOK 3.55 million. The plan is to complete the first phase in 2017. Phase 2 is planned to last for four years.
She says the technology could also expand the popularity of skiing, by making snow available in places where it previously wasn’t.
“Just like we have artificial football pitches, we could also create future snow parks,” she says.
One of the aims of the project is to establish a snow technology research centre based in Trondheim, where both Norwegian and international projects could be carried out.
“We envisage the development of more efficient refrigeration plants and snow production concepts, facilities designed for combined snow and heat production, and a total concept that integrates data models with meteorological data,” says Eikevik.
“We hope this will help promote innovation and business development related to future snow production facilities,” he says.
FIS was represented by its Environment Consultant Jascha Schmid who commented: “The project is off to an impressive start and there is great commitment from all parties. It will be extremely interesting to see first results.”
