经济学人409:捕捉碳 管道之梦

 　　Carbon capture

　　捕捉碳

　　Pipe dreams

　　管道之梦

　　A fresh effort to store pollutants¹ underground.

　　将污染物储存地下的新尝试。

　　FOR more than 30 years Peterhead power station has churned out electricity from a windswept spot on the north-east coast of Scotland. Its chimney (pictured) is a familiar landmark² for strollers on Aberdeen's chilly³ beach. Yet soon the ageing gas-fired plant could host a crucial experiment. Engineers from Shell, an oil firm, and SSE, an energy company, plan to add technology that will capture the carbon dioxide which billows from Peterhead's furnace and store it in a depleted⁴ gasfield more than a mile beneath the North Sea. That could cut its emissions⁵ by up to 90%, making Peterhead by far the cleanest gas plant in the world.

　　Peterhead 电厂位于苏格兰东北部一处风不止歇的地方，长期输送电力超过30年。它的烟囱成为Aberdeen的冷滩散步者所熟知的地标。不过很快这座老化的燃气电厂将要面临一项关键的考验。来自壳牌石油公司和SSE能源公司的工程师们计划对这座电厂进行技术改造，这样就可以捕捉从Peterhead电厂锅炉中大量涌出的二氧化碳，并将之储存到一座废弃的油田中。而这座油田深藏在北海一英里以下。成功之后将比以前减少90%的二氧化碳排放量，Peterhead将成为迄今世界上最清洁的燃气电厂。

　　管道之梦.jpg

　　Peterhead is one of two preferred bidders⁶ in a government contest that aims to kick-start Britain's adoption⁷ of carbon capture and storage technologies. The other pet project is a proposed coal-fired plant at Drax power station in Yorkshire, which will pipe its pollutants about 50 miles to the coast before trapping them in rocks beneath the waves. Yet politicians have been soliciting⁸ similar proposals since 2007, without bringing any to fruition; abortive⁹ efforts at Peterhead go back even further. Boosters hope this latest crop will buck¹⁰ a sorry trend.

　　Peterhead是政府竞标项目中两个被选中的竞标项目之一。此次竞标旨在促使不列颠上下采用碳捕捉和储存技术。另外一项受重视的项目是计划对约克郡的Drax电厂的煤电机组进行改造。这项改造目的在于将污染物输送到离海岸线有50英里的地方并将之固定在波涛之下的岩层中。不过政客们早在2007年就作出过相同的许诺，也没带来任何成果；对Peterhead改造的流产甚至退回原地。支持者们希望这迟来的成效能在未来挽回惨淡的局面。

　　The rewards could be great. CCS is one of a very few ways to clean up industries such as steelmaking or chemicals. Fossil-fuel power stations fitted with carbon-capturing kit¹¹ would provide an unusually flexible source of green power.

　　回报相当丰厚。CCS是为数不多可以清洁诸如炼钢厂或化学工厂的法子。化石燃料的电厂配备上碳捕捉装置之后，可以提供具有相当弹性供应量的清洁能源。

　　These benefits would bring savings¹². Carbon capture could be lopping 30 billion off Britain's annual energy bill by 2050, says the Energy Technology Institute, a government and industry research body. The International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental outfit¹³, reckons CCS will have to deliver one-sixth of the emissions cuts required to limit the damage done by climate change, and that forgoing¹⁴ it would raise costs by 40%.

　　这些好处可以节省很多开支。据政府和工厂的研究机构，能源技术研究所称，到2050年，碳捕捉技术有望为不列颠每年砍去300亿英镑的能源开支。而据一座跨国机构国际能源所认为，采用CCS技术将减少六分之一的碳排放，这可以减少因此造成的气候而带来的损失。而如果放弃这项技术将导致损失上升40%

　　Britain is well placed to cash in. Its wealth of underwater engineers will need new ways to keep busy as the North Sea's fields run dry. A steady supply of carbon could be useful to roughnecks, who are experimenting with techniques that use the gas to squeeze more oil from mature wells. And the country's deep aquifers¹⁵ and depleted reservoirs could probably hold 100 years-worth of emissions.

　　不列颠是实行这项技术的好地方。在北海油田日渐枯竭的时候，她数量众多的水下工程师需要新的渠道维持饭碗。稳定的碳供应对于矿工来说也是极为有用的，因为目前他们正在尝试新技术：利用二氧化碳从成熟油井中挤压出更多的石油。而这个国家深度蓄水层和废弃的储油层足够容纳英伦百年的排放的二氧化碳。

　　That makes slow progress all the more frustrating¹⁶. In May MPs on the climate-change select committee complained that government dithering had led to a “lost decade” for CCS in Britain. Money is part of the problem—boffins say energy from the first CCS plants could cost 150-200 per megawatt hour, four times the current wholesale¹⁷ price of power and more expensive even than offshore¹⁸ wind farms. European laws that oblige Britain to invest heavily in renewables are diverting resources away from CCS, says Judith Shapiro, an industry spokesperson.

　　不过这进步来得少，挫败倒更多。在5月的时候，气候变化选择委员会的议员们抱怨道，由于政府的优柔寡断犹豫不决，导致CCS技术在不列颠停滞了10年。资金是其中的问题之一—研究者指出采用CCS技术的工厂最初每兆瓦·时要花费150镑到200镑，这是现行整体能源价格的4倍，其昂贵程度较之离岸风能电厂不逞多让。欧盟法律敦促不列颠在再生能源领域加大投资，这促使很多资金从CCS流失。一位工业发言人Judith Shapiro如是说。

　　Yet the government is digging deep to make sure its latest efforts pay off. In 2007 it put aside 1 billion to help fund the capital costs of some CCS projects—not least the huge expense of laying new pipelines¹⁹ overland. Lately it has also promised ongoing²⁰ subsidies²¹ of the type given to renewables. Bosses at Peterhead and at Drax say that next year they hope to make a final decision on whether or not to press ahead.

　　虽然如此，政府仍在加大努力确保最近的努力措施能够有所斩获。在2007年，政府留出10亿英镑设立基金以支付一些CCS项目的支出—这也包括铺设离岸新管道的巨额花费。最近，政府也承诺在许可的范围的内逐步减少对再生能源项目的支持。Peterhead和Drax的老板说下一年他们希望希望作出一项财政决议，以便于决定CCS项目是否继续进行。

　　Pessimists²² say that a few pilot projects will not make an industry, even if the technology proves viable²³. Some fret²⁴ that runners-up in the government's competition will run out of money while it mulls what subsidies to offer; others warn of bottlenecks²⁵ without more efforts to identify storage sites. One big uncertainty²⁶ is how the public will react when plans for carbon capture are better known. Though engineers have been cramming²⁷ carbon underground for several years—notably in Norway—the idea could still spark alarm. That would not easily go back in the bottle.

　　悲观论者认为一木不成林，少数先行的项目不足以支撑出一个产业体系，哪怕实践证明这项技术切实可行。一些人对政府的行径感到焦虑。他们认为这种竞争将耗完所有的资金，而它需要通盘考虑补贴谁；另外一些人则提醒，不花费更多精力去甄别存储地点是存在问题的。一个最大的不确定在于碳捕捉计划广为人知之后公共将作出何等反应。尽管工程师已经把碳压缩到地底这事已经干了很多年了——在挪威最典型——公众的反对仍能成燎原之势。这不像二氧化碳，能够轻易关进瓶子里。

1 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

4 depleted   

adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Food supplies were severely depleted. 食物供应已严重不足。
• Both teams were severely depleted by injuries. 两个队都因队员受伤而实力大减。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 bidders   

n.出价者，投标人( bidder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Bidders should proceed only if they intend on using a PayPal account to complete payment. Bidders的唯一形式，应继续只当他们在使用贝宝帐户，以完成付款打算。 来自互联网
• The other bidders for the contract complained that it had not been a fair contest. 其他竞标人抱怨说该合同的竞标不公平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

8 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 abortive   

adj.不成功的，发育不全的

参考例句：

• We had to abandon our abortive attempts.我们的尝试没有成功，不得不放弃。
• Somehow the whole abortive affair got into the FBI files.这件早已夭折的案子不知怎么就进了联邦调查局的档案。

10 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

11 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

12 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。

13 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

14 forgoing   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Everything, in short, is produced at the expense of forgoing something else. 总之，每一种东西的生产，都得以牺牲放弃某些其他东西为代价。 来自互联网
• These aren't the only ones forgoing the morning repast, of course. 当然，他们并不是放弃早餐的唯一几个。 来自互联网

15 aquifers   

n.地下蓄水层，砂石含水层( aquifer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And in Africa, the aquifers barely recharge at all. 非洲的地下水开采以后几乎得不到补充。 来自时文部分
• Aquifers have water contents over 30%. 含水层的水含过30％。 来自辞典例句

16 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

18 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

19 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

20 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

21 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 pessimists   

n.悲观主义者( pessimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pessimists tell us that the family as we know it is doomed. 悲观主义者告诉我们说，我们现在的这种家庭注定要崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Experts on the future are divided into pessimists and optimists. 对未来发展进行预测的专家可分为悲观主义者和乐观主义者两类。 来自互联网

23 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

24 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

25 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

26 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

27 cramming   

n.塞满，填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 )；填塞；塞满；（为考试而）死记硬背功课

参考例句：

• Being hungry for the whole morning, I couldn't help cramming myself. 我饿了一上午，禁不住狼吞虎咽了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She's cramming for her history exam. 她考历史之前临时抱佛脚。 来自《简明英汉词典》