英语听力文摘 English Digest 601、树叶与太阳能板

 　　Leaves Inspire Better Solar Panels

 

　　What do leaves and solar panels have in common?

 

　　Both absorb sunlight and turn it into energy. But while solar panels typically have smooth surfaces, leaves have tiny wrinkles and folds that allow for maximum light absorption.

 

　　Recently, scientists took a cue from nature and engineered plastic solar panels with leaf like surfaces. Most flat surfaced solar panels absorb some light and turn about eighteen percent of it into electricity. Panels with ridged surfaces can absorb more light by channeling light waves, thereby¹ significantly increasing their efficiency at converting light into electricity.

　　Besides making panels more efficient, ridged and wrinkled surfaces could allow solar panels to be made out of bendable plastic instead of silicon². Silicon is naturally better at absorbing light than plastic, but it’s also more expensive and more brittle³. Flexible plastic is cheaper and more durable⁴ but typically not as good at absorbing light. But with leaf like surfaces, solar panels made from bendable plastic may be able to absorb light just as effectively, if not more so, than regular panels.

 

　　Another benefit of the wrinkled surface technique is that it’s especially useful for increasing absorption at the red end of the light spectrum⁵, which has the longest wavelengths⁶. Conventional solar panels typically absorb very little of red and infrared⁷ light. But the folding technique increased absorption of this light by nearly 600 percent.

 

　　Plastic, leaf like solar panels are not yet ready for widespread use. But they could one day help revolutionize the solar industry by allowing for thin, flexible panels used on windows, clothing, and most flat surfaces.

1 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

2 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

3 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

4 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 wavelengths   

n.波长( wavelength的名词复数 )；具有相同的/不同的思路；合拍；不合拍

参考例句：

• I find him difficult to talk to—we're on completely different wavelengths. 我没法和他谈话，因为我们俩完全不对路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sunlight consists of different wavelengths of radiation. 阳光由几种不同波长的射线组成。 来自辞典例句

7 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。