VOA慢速英语2012 TECHNOLOGY REPORT - South Pacific Islands Now Totally Powered by the Sun（在线收听）

TECHNOLOGY REPORT - South Pacific Islands Now Totally Powered by the Sun

科技报道 - 托克劳群岛完全由太阳能发电

From VOA Learning English, this is the TECHNOLOGY REPORT in Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

Officials say the islands of Tokelau in the South Pacific Ocean have become the world’s first territory totally powered by the sun. The move is expected to save money and ease the environmental burden of depending on imported fossil fuels.

有关官员表示，南太平洋的托克劳群岛已经成为世界上首个完全由太阳能发电的地区。此举有望节省资金，减轻依赖进口化石燃料对环境的负担。

New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister released a statement about The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project. Murray McCully said Tokelau’s three main atolls, or islands, now have enough solar capacity to meet all of their electricity needs. He said until now, Tokelau has been one hundred percent dependent on diesel for producing electricity. That, he said, has burdened the country with heavy economic and environmental costs.

新西兰外交部长默里·麦卡利（Murray McCully）就托克劳的可再生能源项目发表了一份声明。麦卡利表示，托克劳的三个主要珊瑚岛目前已经拥有足够的太阳能发电量来满足他们所有的电力需求。他说，在此之前托克劳一直完全依赖柴油发电，这使得该国背负了沉重的经济和环境成本。

The three atolls of Tokelau are Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo. The group of islands is about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and is administered by New Zealand. Together they have about one thousand five hundred citizens.

托克劳的三个主要珊瑚岛分别是阿塔富，努库诺努和法考福。这个群岛大约位于新西兰和夏威夷的中间地带，由新西兰统治，一共有大约1500名居民。

Each atoll received its own solar power grid system. New Zealand officials estimated the cost of the project to build the three solar grids at around seven million dollars. The last of the grids was completed earlier this month.

每个珊瑚岛都获得了自己的太阳能电网系统。新西兰官员估计建设这三个太阳能电网项目的成本在700万美元左右。本月初完成了电网的最后一部分。

It is estimated that oil imports make up to thirty percent of national income in some parts of the Pacific. The move to solar power could save Tokelau about one million dollars a year. One project coordinator said Tokelau would now be able to spend more on social programs to help its citizens.

据估计，石油进口占到了太平洋一些地区国民收入的30%以上。转向太阳能发电每年可以为托克劳节约大约100万美元。一位项目协调员表示，托克劳现在将能够在社会事业上投入更多资金以帮助其国民。

Other South Pacific islands are attempting similar projects. The island nations of Samoa and Tuvalu are aiming to get all of their electricity from renewable sources by twenty-twenty. The Cook Islands plans to start moving to solar panels and wind turbines. And most houses in the South Pacific groups of islands will begin to use solar water heaters.

其它南太平洋岛屿正在尝试类似项目。萨摩亚和图瓦卢等岛国希望在2020年前让全部电力来自于可再生能源。库克群岛计划开始转向太阳能和风力涡轮机。南太平洋群岛的多数家庭将开始使用太阳能热水器。

East Timor's government has promised that no households in the capital, Dili, would be using firewood for cooking by twenty fifteen. It also says fifty percent of the country's electricity will come from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

东帝汶政府已作出承诺，到2015年在首都帝力没有家庭使用柴火做饭。它还表示到这个十年结束，该国50%的电力将来自可再生能源。

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the country will hold a Pacific energy summit in March next year. He said the meeting would build on the success of clean and affordable energy solutions for Tokelau, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.

新西兰外长麦卡利表示，该国将于明年3月举行太平洋能源峰会。他表示，这次会议将建立在托克劳、汤加和库克群岛清洁廉价能源解决方案的成功基础之上。

And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at www.voanews.cn. We’re also on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.