VOA慢速英语20116 印度科学家设计设备收集太阳能

AS IT IS 2016-08-31 Indian Scientists Design Device to Collect Solar Energy 印度科学家设计设备收集太阳能

Indian scientists have designed a new device they hope will solve one of the biggest problems with the use of solar energy.

印度科学家已经设计了一项新设备，希望能够解决有关太阳能使用方面的最大问题。

They call the device a solar tree.

他们将该设备称作是太阳能树。

Solar trees have metal "branches" extending from a tall, central pole at different levels. Each branch holds a photovoltaic panel 1, also called a solar panel. These panels 2 are flat surfaces that collect energy from the sun and turn it into electricity.

太阳能树有金属的“枝干”，由中央高耸的枝干从不同的高度向外延伸。每个“树枝”都装有光伏板，光伏板又称作是太阳能板。太阳能板是一种平面设备，能够收集太阳能并将其转变成电力。

Daljit Singh Bedi is the chief scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, or CSIR, in New Delhi, India. The CSIR laboratories are where the solar tree was designed.

Daljit Singh Bedi是印度新德里科学与工业研究理事会（CSIR）的首席科学家。CSIR的实验室即是设计太阳能树的地点。

Bedi says the shape of the solar trees makes it possible to fit more photovoltaic panels in a space than traditional systems do. This means less land would be needed to produce solar energy.

Bedi表示，与传统的系统相比，太阳能树的形状让某个空间安装更多的光伏板成为可能。这就意味着生产太阳能时需要的地面更少。

It takes about four-square meters of space to produce energy which otherwise would have required 400 square meters of space, he says. "So almost 100 times the space is saved, which as you know is very valuable."

“之前需要400平方米，现在只需要4平方米的就能生产太阳能。”他说道，“因此差不多节省了100倍的空间，你也知道，这是非常可贵的。”

Buying land to develop roads, factories and other infrastructure 3 has been a disputed issue in India. Disagreements often lead to protests by those forced to move. Some of the protests have turned violent.

在印度，买土地修路、建工程或者建造其他设施一直都是争论的焦点。意见不同通常会导致被迫迁移的人们举行抗议。其中一些抗议最终演变成暴乱。

Scientists believe the energy a solar tree collects will be enough to power five homes. The space-saving tree will make it easier to provide solar energy to homes in cities, they say. The trees will also take less space from farmers in rural areas.

科学家们认为一棵太阳能树收集的太阳能可以供5个家庭使用。他们表示，太阳能树能够节省空间，因此在城市里提供太阳能，变得更加简单。太阳能树也为乡村地区的农民节省了空间。

Bedi says solar trees will collect more energy than normal photovoltaic panels on the tops of buildings.

Bedi表示，太阳能树在建筑物顶层上，比一般的光伏板收集到的能量更多。

This design, it facilitates 5 placement of solar panels in a way that they are exposed more towards the sun, he says. "And that way they are able to harness 10 to 15 percent more energy."

“这种设计能够让太阳能板最大限度的吸收太阳能。”他说道。“这种设计能够多利用10%到15%的太阳能。”

India is the world’s third largest producer of greenhouse gases. The country promised to reduce its rate of greenhouse gas production at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris last year. India said, by 2030, it would reduce its rate of greenhouse gas production by one third over its levels in 2005.

印度是全球第三大温室气体排放国。去年，印度在巴黎联合国气候变化会议上承诺降低温室气体的排放率。印度表示到2030年时，将把温室气体排放量从2005年的水平降低三分之一。

The country’s promise depends heavily on increasing solar energy. India has set a difficult goal of getting 40 percent of its total energy from renewable sources by 2030. It also plans to reduce its use of coal.

印度的承诺主要是取决于不断投入使用的太阳能。印度设定了一个很难的目标，即到2080年时，所使用的能源中有40%是来自可再生资源。其中还包括计划减少煤炭的使用。

The cost of photovoltaic panels has gone down in recent years. This has made solar power cheaper and easier to use.

最近今年，光伏电板的花费已经降低。这样让太阳能使用成本更低，更易使用。

Amit Kumar is the senior director of the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi. The institute studies development in India and countries in the southern half of the world. Kumar says gaining access to land takes time and increases costs.

Amit Kumar是新德里能源和资源研究所的资深总监。该研究所对印度的发展以及南半球的国家进行研究。Kumar 表示，土地的获取不仅花费时间，还会导致费用的增加。

He adds that it is still not clear how useful these new developments in solar power technology are.

他补充说道，但这些太阳能科技如何使用，目前还不清楚。

[Only when] we put those [trees] on a large scale ... will we be able to get that answer, he says.

“只有将这些太阳能树投入大规模的使用中时，才能得到答案。”

Words in This Story

pole – n. a long, straight piece of wood or metal that is often placed in the ground so that it stands straight up

photovoltaic – adj. relating to the production of electricity by exposing two substances to light

panel – n. a flat piece of metal or plastic

facilitate 4 – v. to make something easier

greenhouse gases – n. gases or pollution that causes the temperature of the Earth to raise

renewable – adj. restored or replaced by natural processes