VOA标准英语2008年-One Man's Passion: Renewable Energy Projects

By Paul Sisco
Washington D.C.
24 January 2008
 

Wing Power, wave power, people power. Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota tries to capitalize on all three. VOA's Paul Sisco explains in this week's Searching for Solutions report.

Lucien Gambarota is a visionary, and his vision is a cleaner world.

He founded Hong Kong-based Motor Wave Limited in 2006. He explains, "Everything we are doing is related to one subject -- energy. How do we transform the available energy around us?"

One of Gambarota's current projects involves recycling and reinventing fluorescent¹ lights. He says he has developed a system for breathing new life into spent tubes.

"I don't know how to explain it, because it is so amazing that it works. The first time that I realized that we can do it, I was really amazed. It is possible that if we can make this system more available, there may be no more need for recycling of tubes because these tubes can last for thousands of years."

Gambarota says he hopes to begin marketing² a fluorescent tube, generator³ and mini-turbine package for about $200 later this year.

Gambarota has formed a partnership⁴ called "Powered by You" with a fitness chain to demonstrate his alternative lighting⁵ system.

"This is how we use it. We start with two batteries and then we have, same as we have with the wind turbine, we have an inverter that converts DC power into AC power and then it goes into the lights," he said. 

Dylan Wade⁶ is a director of operations for California Fitness. He says the partnership with Gambarota is a perfect match. "... a good marriage as far as, 'Hey, I'm not just going to be healthy when I'm inside of California Fitness, but I'm also going to be responsible and making sure my environment is going to be healthy for the future as well.' "

"California Fitness is a very typical example," says Gambarota. "Human energy -- how do we transform it and use it into something else and not just wasting it?"

At the Hong Kong Sea School, Gambarota's patented micro wind turbine technology generates electricity at minimal⁷ wind speeds. He says, "Each turbine's power is added to the next one, so here at the end is what we collect. (It) is the sum of all the energy collected there. This is like an addition machine. That is why it works."

School principal William Hutchinson adds, "If we get about 10 knots of breeze, which is reasonable average breeze, we can power about 90 percent of this building."

Gambarota says the conditions have to be right, the breeze sufficient and the roof large and flat. If that is the case, the company says Gambarota's environmentally friendly turbines, made from recycled plastic, can cut energy expenses in half.

1 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。

2 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

3 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

7 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。