VOA常速英语2014--太阳能在美国的发展（在线收听）

Solar Power Makes Gains in US 太阳能在美国的发展

WASHINGTON —

Two universities in Washington, D.C., soon plan to start buying half of their electricity from solar-power farms 400 kilometers away. The schools expect the project will save millions of dollars during the next couple of decades and make the universities more attractive to environmentally-conscious students.

Experts say the project shows how this once-exotic power source is becoming a routine part of business.

Solar panels cover the roof of this and other buildings at American University, creating electricity that is a fraction of the power needed by the campus.

美洲大学的这些建筑上都覆盖有太阳能面板，所制造的电力只是整个校园所需电力的一小部分。

Solar power farms

AU, George Washington University, and George Washington University Hospital are going a big step further in a deal with Duke Energy Renewables, a division of a large power company.

根据和大型电力公司分公司杜克能源公司签署的协议，美洲大学、乔治华盛顿大学和乔治华盛顿大学医院都将在这方面挺进一大步。

Duke will build three new solar power farms, similar to these facilities, in distant North Carolina and put the power into the electric grid.

杜克将在遥远的北卡罗琳娜州建造三个新太阳能农场，和这些建筑上的面板类似，把太阳能转化为电能。

The schools in Washington will draw electricity from the grid and pay Duke for the power at a fixed rate for the next 20 years.

未来20年内，华盛顿的学校将使用电网上的电力，并以固定电价向杜克支付电费。

Chief Financial Officer of American University Doug Kudravetz said the green solar power deal will look better and better over time.

美洲大学财务总监Doug Kudravetz说该绿色太阳能协议以后将越来越看好。

"Over the next 20 years, we are confident that [the price of] brown power can only go in one direction [higher cost], saving quite a bit of money over that period of time," said Kudravetz.

“未来20年，我们相信褐色电力只能向着高价发展，那时候太阳能将会省去大笔钱。”

American University’s director of sustainability, Chris O’Brien, said using renewable energy instead of “brown power,” traditional oil, coal, or gas-fueled electricity, will reduce the environmental impact of campus activities.

美洲大学可持续主任克里斯·奥布莱恩说，使用可再生能源而不是传统石油、煤和燃气电等褐色电力，这将减少大学活动的环境影响。

“It is the right thing for social equity because some of the worst impacts of climate change are borne by the poor. So to the degree we can convert to renewable reduces the impact on people who live in poverty," said O'Brien.

“这对社会公平来说是件好事，因为气候变化的最糟糕影响是穷人承受的，所以这样说来我们就能转向可再生能源来减少对穷人生活的影响。”

Growing power source

There are a growing number of solar facilities around the world. Duke Energy Renewables' new units will have nearly a quarter of a million solar panels, and it will generate 123-million-kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The switch away from fossil fuel will have the same environmental benefit as getting 12,500 cars off the road.

全世界的太阳能设施越来越多，杜克可再生能源部门的新设施将包括近25万个太阳能面板，每年将制造1.23亿度电。从化石燃料向太阳能的转换产生的环境效益相当于道路上减少1.25万辆车。

Rhone Resch, the head of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said, “This is an innovative, new type of business model for solar. It shows that you can go solar, no matter if you have roof space, or if you are entering into a contract with a developer. I think this is the future of solar energy, and we are seeing it today.”

太阳能产业协会主席罗纳-莱斯驰说，“这是一种创新，是新的太阳能商业模式，这表明无论有没有屋顶空间都能使用太阳能，或者可以和开发商签署协议。我想这就是太阳能的未来，我们今天就看到了这一点。”

Resch said solar is growing fast, but he admitted that it provides just a small fraction of the electricity needed to run the world’s biggest economy. He said falling prices for equipment and innovations in financing now are doing as much as technical developments to spread solar energy.

莱斯驰说太阳能发展很快，但他承认太阳能只能提供全世界最大经济体所需电力的一小部分，他说设备价格的下跌和金融创新对推广太阳能所起的作用不低于技术进步带来的意义。

In the meantime, students at American University take advantage of a solar water heater on the roof of a campus building that pre-heats water for coffee and saves energy in a shop several floors below.

同时，美洲大学的学生们利用大学里一座建筑屋顶上的太阳能热水器来预热咖啡，并帮助几层楼下的商店节省能源。