美国国家公共电台 NPR--As Germany struggles in energy crisis, more turn to solar to help power homes

As Germany struggles in energy crisis, more turn to solar to help power homes

Transcript¹

There is no major industrialized country in the world more dependent on Russian energy than Germany.

Natural gas, mostly from Russia, is used to power the country's manufacturing sector², and it heats nearly half of the country's households.

To Berlin-based entrepreneur Karolina Attspodina, it is an especially troubling reality, as the European energy crisis revealed how much Germany needs Russia's oil and gas exports to simply function.

"I'm pretty frustrated," said Attspodina, 34, who was born in Ukraine. "And it not just me. A lot of people are. How could we get to this stage that we're so reliant on somebody else, especially Russia?"

Last year, Attspodina co-founded a company to empower Germans to rely a bit less on Russian energy: She sells solar panels that can be installed on apartment balconies and garages.

Here's how it works: The solar panels collect energy from the sun, which is then sent to a device, known as a microinverter, that is plugged into a power socket³. The energy from the panels then becomes the initial source of energy for the household, ahead of power from the grid⁴.

By the most optimistic measure, her solar panels can save residents up to 25% on their utility bills.

When Putin's forces invaded Ukraine earlier this year, her crusade against Germany's reliance on Russian oil and gas become even more personal.

"I can see my people dying over at home. I still have family and friends there," Attspodina said.

Other Germans, meanwhile, realized that the invasion meant energy prices at home would soon rise.

The war spiked⁵ sales of her solar panels by 70%, she said.

"I wish it never happened in this way, but everyone really understood in a new way that we needed to be more independent in terms of energy," she said.

She is now racing⁶ to keep up. Even though regulations limit the amount of power her solar panels can generate, she has a backlog⁷ of 3,000 orders she is now trying to fill.

"This is a way for you to actually reduce your energy bill, but also reduce CO2 and help our climate crisis and obviously help the fact that we are reliant on the Russian gas," she said.

Dimming lights countrywide to save energy

Across Germany, the government is taking its own steps to try to reduce energy consumption: Dimming lights in public places; cranking down the heating of public pools; turning off water fountains — some cities are even considering turning off traffic lights in lightly populated areas.

Russia has been gradually sending less gas to Europe in response to Western sanctions. The critical Nord Stream 1 pipeline⁸ now sends just 20% of what it is capable of to Europe — some fear that Russia will turn off the taps completely this winter.

That would make a painful energy crunch⁹ even worse, said Fabian Ronningen, a senior analyst¹⁰ at Rystad Energy.

"The energy crisis will last as long as prices are very high and Germany remains¹¹ reliant on Russian gas, which will not be a short-term thing," he said.

We Do Solar's sales bump, according to Ronningen, dovetails with residential¹² solar panel purchases surging across Germany in response to the energy crisis.

Solar energy now accounts for around 9% of the electricity Germany consumes. Ronningen said residents installing more solar modules¹³ on balconies and rooftops is a welcome development, but there is no easy fix to solve the crisis.

"Consumers have to deal with these prices in the winter and also for the coming year," he said.

Solar is a boon¹⁴ for some, out of reach for others

In Berlin, one of Attspodina's customer, Leo von Bismarck, 40, a tech entrepreneur, recently installed the solar panels at his parents' place in the city's posh Mitte neighborhood.

Looking at the eight black panels attached to the outside of the balcony, von Bismarck said they were appealing because they double as a privacy screen. He is happy about the cost savings¹⁵ too.

"Some people are just paralyzed by the urge to do something, but at the same time not knowing how to do it," he said. "And this is really plug and play, to be honest. It's really as simple as that."

Easy for a von Bismarck say. For many Germans, at 1,300 euros, the cost of buying the cheapest set of solar modules is simply out of reach.

Like for Lydia Dietsch, a graphic¹⁶ designer in Berlin who said there is no way she could afford them.

At the same time, her utility bill recently delivered a nasty sticker shock. She lives with her partner and a roommate.

"Prices already increased from like 91 Euros per month to 410 per month," she said.

With solar panels out of reach and her energy bill soaring, Dietsch is taking shorter showers. Sometimes cold showers.

"I'm trying to avoid cooking with the gas oven and use other things instead," she added. "We have a grill¹⁷."

Bracing¹⁸ for the coming winter, Dietsch said she might have no choice but to shiver her way through it.

"I'm afraid of winter. I don't know what will happen," she said. "We will just be in the cold rooms, I guess."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

4 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

5 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

8 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

9 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

13 modules   

n.模块( module的名词复数 )；单元；（宇宙飞船上各个独立的）舱；组件

参考例句：

• The course consists of ten core modules and five optional modules. 这门课程包括十个必修单元和五个选修单元。
• Our English course is divided into modules on poetry, drama, and novels. 我们的英语课分为诗歌、戏剧和小说等单元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

15 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

16 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

17 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

18 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。