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新科技：没有电的地方也可灯火通明

This year's Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to inventors of the light emitting diode, commonly known by the acronym¹ LED, now being used around the world. However, according to the International Energy Agency and the World Bank, more than a billion people in the world still do not have access to electricity. After sunset, most of them use light candles or oil lamps which, in addition to unsteady, flickering² light, also give off toxic³ fumes⁴. A company in the Netherlands is trying to change that with its product based on LEDs.

今年的诺贝尔物理学奖授予目前在世界各地应用的发光二极管的发明者。但是，国际能源机构和世界银行发表的报告显示，全世界还有10多亿人无电可用。太阳落下之后，这些人大都使用蜡烛和油灯照明。这种照明用具除了光线不稳定之外，还放出有毒气体。荷兰的一家公司试图用发光二极管来为他们提供照明。

When darkness falls, many kids in rural parts of Haiti, Rwanda, or refugee camps in Syria read or do their homework by candlelight or a kerosene-burning lamp. The open flames sometimes cause fires, while toxic fumes lead to respiratory problems.

夜幕降临时，海地、卢旺达或叙利亚的这个难民营的许多孩子要想读书或做作业，就只能用蜡烛或煤油灯照明。这种明火有时会导致火灾，而这种照明用具发出的有毒烟雾则会导致呼吸系统问题。

Portable electric light is safer, healthier and now, even cheaper.

便携式电力照明更安全，更健康。而且，现在也可以更便宜了。

“This is the first time that artificial light or solar LED light is now less expensive than kerosene,” said Camille van Gestel, head of a Dutch company called WakaWaka, over Skype.

卡米尔·范吉斯泰尔是荷兰瓦卡瓦卡公司的总裁。他说：“这是人工光源或太阳能发光二极管首次变得比煤油灯更便宜。”

LEDs are a safe and efficient electronic light source that shines with bright white light.

发光二极管是一种安全和高效的电力光源，发出的是明亮的白光。

Van Gestel said WakaWaka, which means "Shine Bright" in Swahili, is the most efficient solar-powered light and phone charger in the world today. When fully⁵ charged, it shines for up to 16 hours.

瓦卡瓦卡在斯瓦西里语当中的意思是闪烁明亮。范吉斯泰尔说，瓦卡瓦卡制作当今世界效率最高的太阳能光源和电话充电器。瓦卡瓦卡制作的充电照明灯充分充电之后可以照明16个小时。

It is affordable⁶, sustainable, and its battery lasts for a long time. It can be set up on any flat surface, hung from a ceiling or perched atop a glass bottle.

这种充电节能灯价格便宜，可以反复使用，电池寿命很长，可以在任何平整的表面安装。也可以安装在天花板上或放在一个玻璃瓶子上。

Van Gestel said it is intended for the poorest of the poor.

范吉斯泰尔说，这种照明灯是专门为最穷的人提供的。

“Our primary target is to reach people who live at the base of the pyramid, who live on less than two dollars a day,” said Van Gestel.

他说：“我们的目标就是那些收入最低的人。他们每天收入不足两美元。”

Van Gestel said his company operates like any other business, but some of the money made from selling its products is used to make WakaWaka lights affordable to poor people. He said the initiative is supported by international nongovernment organizations.

范吉斯泰尔说，他的公司像别的公司一样运作，但他的公司出售产品所得的一部分收入用来制作穷人买得起的瓦卡瓦卡照明灯。他说，为穷人制作照明灯的项目受到一些国际非政府组织的资助。

“The International Rescue Committee was one of the first to actually take the WakaWaka power into Syria, to provide light and power to Syrian refugees, and now... the WakaWaka is the most valued non-food item in Syria," said Van Gestel.

他说：“国际救援委员会是首先把瓦卡瓦卡照明灯送到叙利亚的组织之一。叙利亚难民因此用上了廉价的照明。现在，瓦卡瓦卡照明灯是叙利亚最被看重的非食物用品。”

In the past 24 months, the company has distributed around 300,000 units in places such as Syria, Haiti, Rwanda, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its goal is to reach 1.2 billion people by 2030.

两年来，瓦卡瓦卡公司已经向叙利亚、海地、卢旺达、印度尼西亚和菲律宾等地销售了大约30万套照明灯。这家公司的目标是在2030年之前向12亿人提供廉价节能的照明。