经济学人:清洁能源 让阳光普照大地

 　　Clean energy

　　清洁能源

　　Let the sun shine

　　让阳光普照大地

　　The future is bright for solar power, even as subsidies¹ are withdrawn²尽管补贴不再，太阳能的未来一片光明

　　FORTY-FIVE minutes west of Las Vegas, dejected sinners may encounter a sight to lift their sunken hearts: a sea of 347,000 mirrors, reflecting the rays of the desert sun on to boilers³ mounted on three 460-foot towers. The Ivanpah solar-thermal plant (pictured), which opened in mid-February, is the largest of its kind in the world. Fully⁴ ramped⁵ up, it will deliver around 377 megawatts (MW) of power to 140,000 homes in southern California. Its backers compare it to the nearby Hoover Dam; an astronaut claims to have spotted⁶ it from the international space station. It is a striking sight, even if the heat from its heliostats has roasted dozens of unfortunate birds alive.

　　距拉斯维加斯45分的地方，心情沮丧的罪人会看到一幅能照亮他们沉没的心的奇观—34.7万面镜子组成的海洋反射着沙漠太阳的光至三个高达460英尺的塔上的热水器。于二月中旬开始运行的伊凡帕太阳能热电厂（如图所示）是目前世界上最大的太阳能热电厂。开足马力，该电厂能为加利福尼亚南部14万居民提供377兆瓦的电力。其支持者将它比作附近美国最高的水坝胡弗水坝。甚至有宇航员说他能在国际空间站找到这个太阳能热电站。尽管电站的定日镜反射的热量硬是将数十只活生生的飞鸟烤熟了，这依然是一道令人叹为观止的风景。

　　Solar power in America is growing rapidly, albeit⁷ from a small base (see chart). Last year it represented 29% of new electricity capacity, behind only natural gas at 46%. Solar output has more than doubled during Barack Obama's time in office; GTM, a research firm, reckons it will grow another 26% in 2014. The Department of Energy wants solar to provide 27% of America's electricity by 2050, up from less than 1% today.

　　虽然太阳能在美国起点低（见下面图表），但发展迅捷。去年太阳能发电占新增电力的29%，仅落后于占46%的天然气发电量。既奥巴马上任以来，太阳能的产出翻了不止一番。全球决策大本营这个调查机构称太阳能发电在2014年将新增26%。美国能源署希望太阳能发电能够由目前提供的不足1%的电力发展到能够在2050年前提供美国27%的电力。

　　Though dazzling, Ivanpah and large plants like it will not generate much of this growth. The federal loan guarantees that allowed their creation have expired. More important are photovoltaic solar cells, a rival technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity. Their cost has fallen so quickly that in many places retail⁸ electricity customers are saving money by placing panels on top of their houses or businesses; 200,000 have done so in the past two years. And there is a lot of room to grow. “There's no market saturation⁹ in any state; not even close,” says Lyndon Rive of SolarCity, a solar-installation firm. Even David Crane, the boss of NRG, co-owner of Ivanpah, says that photovoltaic installations are the future.

　　尽管目前风头正盛，伊凡帕以及像它一样的大公司却不能从这样的增长中获益太多。因为作为用于保障他们创造的联邦贷款到期了。更重要的是光电太阳能电池，它是一种关键的技术能直接将太阳光转化成电力。由于该产品的价格急速下跌，许多地方的零售电力的客户将太阳能板安装在他们的屋顶或厂房房顶来发电来节省开支。过去的两年已经有20万人这么做了，并且其增长的空间很大。来自太阳城一家太阳能设备安装公司的 Lyndon Rive称“目前不管在哪个州，都没有市场达到饱和，甚至是接近饱和。”甚至作为伊凡帕共有者的NRG能源电力的 David Crane也声称未来是光伏发电装置的天下。

　　Last year sun-soaked California accounted for over half of America's new photovoltaic installations. That, say solar fans, shows that the sector¹⁰ can thrive even after it loses its subsidies. (The $2.2 billion California Solar Initiative, which gave cash to homes or firms that went solar, has largely expired.) Solar is also blossoming in unexpected places like Massachusetts and North Carolina.

　　去年，饱受太阳炙烤的加州，其新增的光伏发电装置安装的数量超过整个国家数量的一半。太阳能的支持者称这表明即便没有补贴，太阳能发电也会前途无量。（加州太阳能计划得到22亿美元的补助，用于补贴那些使用太阳能的家庭和公司，如今这一补助绝大部分已到期。）此外，在人们想不到的像马赛诸塞州和北卡罗来纳州这样的地方太阳能发电也如花般绽放。

　　A bigger test will come in 2017, when the federal government's solar-investment tax credit drops from 30% to 10% (unless Mr Obama can convince Congress otherwise). Still, says Shayle Kann at GTM, this will be no “death knell”; it will simply eliminate some marginal projects. And by then there may be a revival¹¹ of Ivanpah-style solar-thermal plants, as energy-storage technologies improve and utility firms look to them to provide steady power throughout the day.

　　更为严峻的挑战将在2017年拉开序幕。那时，联邦政府的太阳能投资税收抵免将由现在的30%骤降至10%，除非奥巴马总统能够说服国会不这么做。即便如此，GTM调查机构的Shayle Kann 声称，这也不是太阳能 发电的“死亡钟声”，而仅仅是终止一些边际项目。随后，随着储能技术的发展以及公共事业公司采用这一技术为全天提供稳定的电力，像伊凡帕这样的太阳能热电站还会再次兴盛起来。

　　Yet even if solar power is a boon¹² to consumers, it threatens some utilities. Energy has traditionally been generated centrally, distributed over power lines and sold to consumers. Distributed solar power—generated from rooftop panels—undermines that model (see article). The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a trade group, warns that distributed generation could do to energy companies what the internet did to newspapers.

　　但是，尽管太阳能电力对消费者有利，它却威胁到其他的公共事业。传统的能源供应是集中式的，通过电线输送到用户家中。分散的太阳能电力是通过人们屋顶的太阳能板发电的，将会颠覆这一传统模式（见文章）。贸易集团爱迪生电力协会警告称，分散发电对能源公司的冲击就如同互联网对新闻报纸产业的冲击一样。

　　Bet your bottom dollar

　　赌上所有的身家

　　Regulations are adapting to this shift: all but seven states have adopted net-metering policies, which credit solar-enabled homes and businesses for the excess energy they feed back into the grid¹³. At least 22 states allow consumers to buy the electricity produced by solar panels that a third party installs on their homes. This lets people take advantage of solar's savings¹⁴ without having to pay the hefty up-front installation costs. In 2013, third-party-owned systems accounted for most solar installations in California, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts.

　　立法正在适应这一转向：除了7个州以外其他各州都颁布了电价扣减政策，允许安装了太阳能的家庭和企业在太阳能自足之后将多余的电并入电网。至少22个州允许消费者购买第三方安装在他们屋顶的太阳能电池板产生的电。这使得人们不用支付高额的前期安装费用就能享受到太阳能带来的实惠。2013年，第三方太阳能系统覆盖了加州、亚利桑那州、科罗拉多州及马萨诸塞州太阳能安装业务的几乎全部的份额。

　　Some utilities grumble¹⁵ that customers who benefit from net metering escape the costs of maintaining the grid they depend on. Last year Arizona Public Service, the state's biggest electric firm, urged regulators to slash¹⁶ the savings that new solar customers would derive¹⁷ from net metering. After a fierce campaign their call was rejected, though the regulator approved a small solar surcharge. Georgia Power also proposed a fat tariff¹⁸; it too was defeated.

　　某些公共事业单位抱怨从电价扣减政策中获益的消费者逃避用于维护他们赖以为继的电网的费用。去年，亚利桑那公共服务公司，盖州最大的电力公司敦促监管者严厉批评新增的太阳能电力消费者通过电价扣减政策而得到的储蓄。经过激烈的争夺，尽管监管者比准了小额的太阳能额外费，他们的呼声最终被驳回。佐治亚电力公司也建议要加重赋税，但也被驳回。

　　Julia Hamm of the Solar Electric Power Association identifies three ways regulators could help utilities cope with these changes. First, they could demand monthly infrastructure¹⁹ fees from solar users. Second, they could list every component²⁰ of value separately rather than wrapping the cost of infrastructure maintenance, for instance, into usage charges. Third, they could split energy used and consumed into separate transactions, meaning that a solar customer sells all his energy to a utility before buying what he needs.

　　美国太阳能电力协会的Julia Hamm 提出三种解决方案帮助公共事业公司面对当前的变化。第一，公共事业公司每月向太阳能使用者收取基础设施使用费。第二，单独列出每个组件的价值而不是将基础设施维护费均摊到电价中。第三，他们可以将使用的能源和消耗的能源分开处理，即太阳能消费者将其生产的电卖给公共电力公司然后再向他们购买他们需要的电。

　　Yet those last two proposals leave unanswered the question of what rate utilities should pay customers for their power—or more broadly, what the price of solar, with all externalities factored in, ought to be. And more battles loom²¹; California's regulator must make an important decision on net metering this month. Further ahead the growth of distributed solar will pose other threats to the utilities' traditional business model. “Net metering is just the pointy edge of the wedge,” says Adam Browning of Vote Solar, an advocacy group.

　　然而后面的两个提议依然没有解决公共电力公司应该按照什么样的比例购买消费者家多余的电的问题，或者更明确的说，考虑到所有的外部因素，太阳能电的价格应该怎样确定。这一问题似乎一直都若隐若现。这个月，加州的监管者必须就电价扣减这一问题作出重要的决定。分散的太阳能发电的进一步发展将会对公共电力公司传统的商业模式构成其他威胁。“电价扣减仅仅只是楔子最尖锐的部分（电价扣减只是利用太阳能问题中最尖锐的问题，还有其他的问题）”拥护太阳能的 Adam Browning 如是说。

　　Still, while user-generated solar power makes utilities skittish²², many have rushed to embrace it on the supply side. In 2013 they installed roughly 4,100MW of solar capacity, up from 2,390MW in 2012. Renewable portfolio²³ standards, which in 30 states force utilities to generate a certain share of their electricity from clean sources, are part of the reason. But so is hard economics: low installation and labour costs, clean power delivery at peak midday hours and a hedge against fuel-price volatility²⁴.

　　尽管用户产生的太阳能电力让公共电力公司愤怒，许多人依然会挤着去供应自家发的电。2013年人们安装的太阳能发电板所发的电量由2012年的2390兆瓦上升到4100兆瓦。可再生能源发电配额制，30个州要求公共电力公司生产一定份额的清洁能源电力是人们蜂拥安装太阳能电池板的原因之一。对于理性的经济而言也是如此：安装费用低，人力资源消耗低，在中午用电高峰期输送清洁能源以及可以抵御波动的石油价格。

　　Many of these gains have already been banked. Photovoltaic modules²⁵ have become slightly dearer lately; costs will rise further if the Commerce Department heeds²⁶ protectionist calls by some domestic manufacturers and expands tariffs²⁷ on imports from China and Taiwan. Yet solar firms are not short of ideas to cut costs elsewhere: third-party financing, for example, or securitising pools of solar leases to reduce financing costs. For makers²⁸ and users of solar power, the future looks bright.

　　这些收益都已经存入银行。近来光伏模块价格稍有上涨。如果商务部注意到国内生产商的贸易保护电话并且加重从中国和台湾进口光伏模块的关税，安装太阳能板的成本将进一步上涨。然而太阳能公司有的是办法从其他方面削减成本：第三方融资，比如说对太阳能租赁的抵押来降低融资的成本。对制造商和用户而言，太阳能的未来前途璀璨，一片光明。

　　1.compare to 比喻为;比作

　　例句:Shall I compare you to a summer's day?

　　我可以把你比作夏天吗？

　　2.claim to 声称

　　例句:That year, at the request of Qatari nobles, the British negotiated the termination of the Al Khalifa claim to Qatar.

　　同年，应卡塔尔贵族的要求，与英国人谈判终止了Al Khalifa对塔尔的要求。

　　3.even if 即使

　　例句:Everbridge allows single entities²⁹ to send thousands of messages at the push of a button, even if cell towers are down.

　　在某个单位要进行预警时，只需要通过Everbridge按一个按钮，就可以发送出数千条信息，哪怕通信基站出现故障时也能使用。

　　4.natural gas 天然气

　　例句:Japanese researchers working for the government were the first to tap natural gas from seabed methane³⁰ hydrates this March.

　　今年三月份，为日本政府工作的研究人选率先从海底的甲烷水合物中提取天然气。

 

1 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》

2 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

3 boilers   

锅炉，烧水器，水壶( boiler的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even then the boilers often burst or came apart at the seams. 甚至那时的锅炉也经常从焊接处爆炸或裂开。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• The clean coal is sent to a crusher and the boilers. 干净的煤送入破碎机和锅炉。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 ramped   

土堤斜坡( ramp的过去式和过去分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
• They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。

6 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

7 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 saturation   

n.饱和(状态)；浸透

参考例句：

• The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
• Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。

10 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。

11 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。

15 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

16 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

17 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

18 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

21 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

22 skittish   

adj.易激动的，轻佻的

参考例句：

• She gets very skittish when her boy-friend is around.她男朋友在场时，她就显得格外轻佻。
• I won't have my son associating with skittish girls.我不准我的儿子与轻佻的女孩交往。

23 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

24 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

25 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》

26 heeds   

n.留心，注意，听从( heed的名词复数 )v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You should never fight the band that heeds you. 从来不要攻击那些注意你行动的帮伙们。 来自互联网
• He who ignores discipline and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 弃绝管教的、必致贫受辱．领受责备的、必得尊荣。 来自互联网

27 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

28 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

30 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。