VOA标准英语2009年-Largest US Solar Energy Plant Comes on Lin

By Brian Wagner
Miami
27 October 2009

 
President Barack Obama speaks during his tour of the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Florida, 27 Oct 2009
President Barack Obama traveled to Florida on Tuesday to help unveil the nation's largest solar power plant. Advocates of renewable energy hope the new plant will spur further development in the field.

Florida energy officials led President Obama through the maze¹ of more than 90,000 solar panels that make up the new energy plant in central Florida. The facility in Arcadia is expected to help power 3,000 homes, at its peak, and do so without producing carbon emissions², like traditional coal-fired plants.

President Obama said he welcomes the drive to open renewable energy facilities. "For the very first time, a large-scale solar power plant, the largest of its kind in the entire nation, will deliver electricity produced by the sun to the citizens of the Sunshine State. And I think it's about time," he said.

In spite of its nickname as the "sunshine state," Florida has lagged behind other states in solar energy production until now. State utility Florida Power and Light says its Arcadia plant will produce 25 megawatts of energy, making it the largest in the nation at least for now. The utility has two other solar plants nearing completion in Florida, including one that will make three times more energy than the Arcadia site.

Experts say the $150 million plant is expensive compared to other technologies, and produces only a fraction of the state's energy needs.

But Jim Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida, says costs are falling quickly. "The cost of solar has been dropping on average about 30 percent a year, where the cost of traditional energies has been going up exponentially because the price of fossil fuels is going up," he said.

Fenton says within three years the cost of large solar plants should be the same as for coal or oil power plants.

Energy leaders in California and Nevada also recognize the opportunity of solar power and are planning to build new plants in coming months. Even China's government has commissioned a U.S. firm to build a massive facility that would produce 80 times more solar energy than the new Florida plant.

Steve Smith directs the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which advocates for renewable energy uses in Florida and nearby states. He says interest in solar power is growing. "I actually believe we are at the beginning of a surge in activity in investing in renewable energy. The big question is which states and which countries are going to get the manufacturing jobs for producing solar panels," he said.

Japan, Germany and China are key producers of the photovoltaic panels used to capture sunlight and pass it onto the electrical grid³. Smith says U.S. officials should move quickly to create incentives⁴ for U.S. panel makers⁵ to open new factories in Florida and other states. "With the high unemployment levels you want more job investment to come into the state," he said.

Smith says growth in the solar energy industry could be a boon⁶ for the environment and the economy at the same time.

1 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。