The United States plans to spend $600 million in coming years to propel development of renewable fuels and other new energy solutions. The funding goes along with millions that private investors are spending to find ways to cut the nation's dependence on oil. VOA's Brian Wagner recently met with business and research leaders striving to find the best new energy solutions.
美国计划在今后几年的时间里耗资6亿美元来推动可再生燃料以及其他新能源的开发。与此同时，私人投资者也正在花费数以亿计的美元寻找使美国摆脱对石油依赖的途径。美国之音记者最近采访了那些正在寻找最佳新能源解决办法的企业和研究界的领袖。
The future of alternative energy appears to be rich, whether it is the potential of new biofuels, citrus peel or farm waste products to supply new energy sources.
不管是用新生物燃料、桔子皮还是农场废物产品来作为新的能源来源，替代能源的未来看起来丰富多彩。
At a recent conference in Florida, green entrepreneurs met with researchers and farmers to plot the industry's future. Scores of research firms are developing conversion methods to process a variety of raw materials into ethanol. Farmers are finding ways to turn long overlooked products, like livestock manure and non-food crops, into fuel supplies.
最近在佛罗里达举行的一个研讨会上，绿色企业家与研究人员和农场主聚集一堂，为这个工业的未来进行规划。几十家研究公司正在研究把各种各样的原材料转化成乙醇的方法。农场主正在寻找把动物粪便以及非食品作物等长期忽略的产品转换成燃油的途径。
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told delegates that green energy is creating great new opportunities for the U.S. economy, especially in the farming sector.
美国农业部长谢福尔(Ed Schafer)对会议代表表示，绿色能源正在为美国经济创造很好的新机会，特别是在蓄牧业。
"There is no turning back from a future in which more of our energy resources are grown and harvested in a sensible way," he said. "That means agriculture is going to be right in the middle of the game."
他说：“以合理的方法来种植和收获更多能源来源的前途是不可逆转的。这意味著，农业将处于这场运动的核心位置。”
Schafer said, under a newly approved farm bill, officials plan to spend $600 million over the next five years to develop and implement new energy technologies, including biofuel crops. That comes in addition to $35 million already being spent.
谢福尔表示，根据新通过的农业法案，政府计划在今后5年拨出6亿美元用于开发和实施新的能源技术，包括生物燃料作物。在此之前，政府已经花费了3千5百万美元。
Green entrepreneurs say federal support is crucial to propel development of advanced technologies that are needed for new energy solutions. Federal loans also are an important tool to give nascent projects the chance to develop into successful businesses.
绿色企业家说，联邦政府的支持对于推动开发新能源所必需的先进技术是至关重要的。联邦贷款也是给刚刚起步的项目有机会发展成成功的企业的一个重要工具。
Some business leaders say government spending still is not enough to offset oil expenditures in the United States, which consumes about 20 million barrels of oil each day. Agriculture Secretary Schafer faced some tough questions from green business leaders at the recent conference.
一些商界领袖表示，政府的支出仍然不足以抵消美国在石油上的花费。美国每天消耗2千万桶石油。在最近的研讨会上，绿色商业领袖对农业部长谢福尔提出了一些很棘手的问题。
"Investing 30 million, 50 million even 100 million seems very small in comparison with the opportunities and the size of the problem," said one attendee.
这个提问的人说：“与这一问题提供的机会和规模相比，投资3千万、5千万甚至1亿都显得微不足道。”
Schafer said he agrees that more money should be spent, and that is why officials are trying to encourage more private investment.
谢福尔说，他也认为应该投入更多的钱，而且这也是为什么政府官员正在鼓励更多的私人投资。
"It is not just a government effort, it is private sector, too," he says. "But we are not spending enough money. We are just saying let that oil come in from overseas and we are not doing enough about it."
他说：“这不仅是政府的努力，也是私营部门的努力。但是，的确，我们没有投入足够多的钱。我们所说的是，让那些石油从海外流进来，我们对此没有做出足够的行动。”
In Florida, officials are trying to capitalize on the boom in green technology. Governor Charlie Crist has sought to expand energy research programs at state universities and ordered energy companies to begin offering more electricity from renewable sources. He says his goal is to draw green businesses to the state.
在佛罗里达，政府官员正在试图从绿色技术的兴旺中获得好处。该州州长克里斯特试图在州立大学扩大能源研究项目，而且让能源公司从可再生能源中提供更多的电力。他说，他的目标就是把绿色生意吸引到这个州来。
"I believe that Florida can be the green technology hub of America, and clearly the equivalent of the Silicon Valley of green," he says. "Florida can be known as energy and green industry leaders throughout the world."
他说：“我相信，佛罗里达可以成为美国绿色技术的中心，很明显，这相当于绿色的硅谷。佛罗里达可以作为一个全球的能源和绿色行业领袖而闻名。”
Alan Hodges, an agricultural economist at the University of Florida, has been following the renewable energy field for more than 20 years. He says federal and state initiatives have created a unique climate for growth now.
佛罗里达大学的农业经济学家霍金斯跟踪可再生能源领域的动态已经有20多年的时间了。他说，目前，联邦政府和州政府的倡议已经创造了一个独特的增长环境。
"There is tremendous interest right now," he says. "I don't think there has ever been more interest than there is now, and it is all because of high oil prices."
他说：“现在对这个问题有巨大的兴趣。我不认为以前任何时候有现在的兴趣大。而这是因为高企的石油价格。”
Government and private sector interest in new energy has come and gone before.
政府和私营部门以前也对新能源表示过兴趣，但是后来这种兴趣又没有了。
Joseph Weissman of Aurora Biofuels has been researching the potential of growing algae as a potential source of fuel oil since the oil crisis of the late 1970s. As certain algae grow, they produce oils that can be harvested and converted into fuel. He said government funds helped advance his work until gasoline prices dropped a few years later, and public funding disappeared.
Aurora生物燃料公司的魏斯曼自从上个世纪70年代的石油危机以来一直在研究种植海藻作为燃油的可能性。一些海藻在生长期间会产生出可以提取而且可以转换成燃料的油。他说，政府资金帮助推动了他在这方面的研究工作，但是几年后汽油价格下跌了，公共资金就消失了。
He says the involvement of more private money will help ensure the development of new energy technologies into the future.
他说，更多的私人资金的参与将有助于确保新的能源技术在今后得到发展。
"That was lacking in the past, it was all government money," Weissman says. "Plus government money isn't driven by the same forces. When someone [private investor] has invested money in something they will see it through one way or another. The government may change its mind overnight."
他说：“过去这方面一直缺乏，只有政府的资金。另外，政府的钱并不受到同样力量的驱使。当私人投资者在某个东西上投了资的话，不管怎么样，他们都会坚持下去。但政府可能一夜之间就会改变想法。”
Researchers say it is difficult to determine whether algae or another technology is the most promising for the future, and when the general public can expect to see the benefits. But they agree that energy costs will continue to remain high, driving further interest in new energy sources in the future.
研究人员说，很难确定海藻还是另外一个技术在今后是最有前途的。他们也不知道什么时候普通民众可以看到好处。但是他们一致认为，能源成本将继续保持在高位，从而会进一步推动在今后开发新能源的兴趣。 |