Level 3 Reading 7A

Ch.13

第13章

Reading 7A POWERING THE PLANET Despite modern society's heavy dependence on fossil fuels for energy, most people are aware that the supply of these fuels is finite. As oil and other fossil fuels become more costly and difficult to find, researchers are looking at alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, and even nuclear power. But which substitute—if any—is the right one? Solar Solar panels catch energy directly from the sun and convert it into electricity. One of the world's largest solar power stations is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where more than 2.5 million solar panels have the capacity to generate enough power for 750,000 people. But unlike the burning of fossil fuels, the process used to create all that solar energy produces no emissions. Today, however, solar power provides less than 2 percent of the world's energy, primarily because the cost of the panels is still very high. But price is only one issue. Clouds and darkness also cause solar panels to produce less energy. This requires that additional power sources (such as batteries) be available. Some scientists think the solution to this problem can be found in space, which is the ideal place to gather energy from the sun. With no clouds and no nighttime, a space-based solar power station could operate constantly. These stations would send the power back to Earth, which could then be turned into electricity for consumption. Advocates of solar space stations say this technology would initially require a lot of money, but eventually it could provide continuous, clean energy that would be cheaper than other fuels. Also, unlike other energy sources, solar power from space would last as long as the sun shines, and would guarantee everyone on Earth all the energy they need. Wind Wind—the fastest-growing alternative energy source—is another way of collecting energy from the sun. Wind is caused by the sun's heat rather than its light. Therefore, unlike solar power, wind power works well even on cloudy days. All over the world, incentives designed to decrease the dependence on oil and coal have led to a steep increase in wind-powered energy. Today, Asia leads the world in wind power, producing around 230,000 megawatts, the equivalent of 230 large coal-powered plants. Europe produces nearly 180,000 megawatts. North America remains a distant third, at 105,000. Despite its successes, some people are protesting wind-power development, saying the turbines are both noisy and ugly. Just outside England's Lake District—a protected national park—a dozen existing wind towers are due to be removed. "This is a high-quality landscape," says one local homeowner. "They shouldn't be putting those things in here." There are other challenges, too. If the wind doesn't blow, the turbines are not able to produce adequate energy. As a result, other power sources are needed. In contrast, a strong wind can create too much power. In cases like this, the energy company must sell the extra power at a much-reduced rate, which is not good for business. What's needed for both wind and solar is a way to store a large energy surplus. However, most systems are still decades away from making this a reality. On the plus side, both wind and solar power enable people to generate their own energy where they live:

阅读7A 为地球提供动力 尽管现代社会严重依赖化石燃料作为能源， 大多数人都知道这些燃料的供应是有限的。 随着石油和其他化石燃料变得更加昂贵和难以找到， 研究人员正在寻找替代能源，包括太阳能、风能，甚至核能。 但是，哪种替代品（如果有的话）是正确的呢？ 太阳的 太阳能电池板直接从太阳中获取能量并将其转化为电能。 世界上最大的太阳能发电站之一位于印度泰米尔纳德邦， 超过250万块太阳能电池板有能力为75万人提供足够的电力。 但与燃烧化石燃料不同，用于产生所有太阳能的过程不会产生排放。 然而，今天太阳能提供的能源不到世界能源的2%， 主要是因为面板的成本仍然很高。 但价格只是一个问题。 云层和黑暗也会导致太阳能电池板产生的能量减少。 这需要额外的电源（如电池）可用。 一些科学家认为，这个问题的解决方案可以在太空中找到， 这是从太阳收集能量的理想场所。 在没有云层和夜间的情况下，太空太阳能发电站可以持续运行。 这些发电站将把电力送回地球，然后转化为电力供消费。 太阳能空间站的支持者表示，这项技术最初需要大量资金， 但最终它可以提供比其他燃料更便宜的连续清洁能源。 此外，与其他能源不同，来自太空的太阳能只要有阳光照射，就会持续下去， 并保证地球上的每个人都能获得所需的所有能源。 风 风能是增长最快的替代能源，也是从太阳收集能量的另一种方式。 风是由太阳的热量而不是光线引起的。 因此，与太阳能不同，风力发电即使在阴天也能很好地工作。 在世界各地，旨在减少对石油和煤炭依赖的激励措施 导致风能急剧增加。 如今，亚洲在风力发电方面处于世界领先地位，发电量约为23万兆瓦， 相当于230座大型燃煤发电厂。 欧洲的发电量接近18万兆瓦。 北美仍以10.5万人的成绩位居第三。 尽管取得了成功，但一些人仍在抗议风力发电的发展，称涡轮机既嘈杂又丑陋。 就在英格兰湖区（一个受保护的国家公园）外，十几座现有的风塔将被拆除。 “这是一个高品质的景观，”一位当地房主说。 “他们不应该把这些东西放在这里。” 还有其他挑战。 如果风不吹，涡轮机就无法产生足够的能量。 因此，需要其他电源。 相比之下，强风会产生太多的电力。 在这种情况下，能源公司必须以大幅降低的价格出售额外的电力， 这对生意不好。 风能和太阳能都需要一种储存大量剩余能源的方法。 然而，大多数系统距离实现这一目标还有几十年的时间。 从好的方面来说，风能和太阳能都能让人们在生活的地方产生自己的能源：

People can have their own windmills or solar panels, with batteries for calm days. Nuclear In the 1970s, nuclear power was seen as the main energy alternative. Nuclear power produces vast amounts of electricity more cheaply than gas or coal, with no carbon emissions. For a number of years in the 1980s and '90s, however, use of nuclear power declined due to accidents, concerns about nuclear waste storage and disposal, and high construction costs. Today, times are changing. Worldwide, about 450 plants generate 11 percent of the planet's electric power, and some countries have invested heavily in nuclear energy. France, for instance, gets three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power, the highest percentage of any country. China has started to build one or two new plants a year, and India has also begun to utilize nuclear energy on a large scale. However, there are still concerns about the safety of nuclear power, as seen, for example, at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The country had to close the nuclear reactors at Fukushima when the plant was hit by a tsunami and, as a consequence, began releasing substantial amounts of radioactive materials. Many still believe, however, that nuclear power is one of the future's greenest energy alternatives. In the end, are any of these sources alone the answer to our current energy problems? The short answer is no, but used in some combination—along with other power sources— we may find ways to reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels.

人们可以拥有自己的风车或太阳能电池板，在平静的日子里使用电池。 原子能的 在20世纪70年代，核能被视为主要的替代能源。 核能产生的大量电力比天然气或煤炭更便宜，没有碳排放。 然而，在20世纪80年代和90年代的几年里，由于事故，核能的使用有所下降， 对核废料储存和处置的担忧以及高昂的建设成本。 今天，时代在变。 全球约有450家工厂生产了地球11%的电力， 一些国家在核能方面投入了大量资金。 例如，法国四分之三的电力来自核能，是所有国家中比例最高的。 中国已经开始每年建造一两座新工厂， 印度也开始大规模利用核能。 然而，人们仍然担心核电的安全性， 例如，日本福岛核电站就是一个例子。 当福岛核电站遭受海啸袭击时，该国不得不关闭核反应堆 因此，开始释放大量放射性物质。 然而，许多人仍然认为核能是未来最环保的能源替代品之一。 最后，这些资源中的任何一个都是我们当前能源问题的答案吗？ 简短的答案是否定的，但可以与其他电源结合使用-- 我们可能会找到减少并最终消除对化石燃料依赖的方法。

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