章节大纲

  • 常规

    全部折叠 展开全部

  • 太阳能

    A solar-powered car driving on a road, showcasing solar panel technology.

     

    Why don't we get our energy straight from the source?
    ::为什么我们不直接从源头获取能量呢?

    The   produces far more  energy  than humans can use. The Sun is also the  source  of most of the energy we use.  Fossil fuels  and  wind  energy, for example, originate with the Sun. So why don't we get all our energy from the Sun? For one reason, it's not always practical.
    ::产生的能量远大于人类所能使用的能量。 太阳也是我们所使用的大部分能量的来源。 例如, 化石燃料和风能源自太阳。 那么为什么我们不从太阳中获取全部能量呢? 原因之一是,它并不总是实用的。

    Solar Energy
    ::太阳能太阳能

    A large array of solar panels capturing sunlight in a vast field.

     

    Solar energy is clean and renewable. Solar panels are needed to collect the sunlight for use.
    ::太阳能是清洁和可再生的,需要太阳能电池板收集阳光使用。

    Solar energy is clean and renewable. Earth receives many times more solar energy than humans could ever imagine using.
    ::太阳能是清洁和可再生的,地球得到的太阳能比人类想象的要多许多倍。

    Energy from the Sun
    ::来自太阳的能量

    The Sun is Earth’s main source of energy. The Sun gives us both light and  heat . The Sun changes hydrogen into helium through  nuclear fusion . This releases huge amounts of energy. The energy travels to Earth mostly as  visible light . The energy is carried through the empty space by  radiation . We can use sunlight as an energy resource, called solar energy.
    ::太阳是地球的主要能源来源。 太阳为我们提供了光和热。 太阳通过核聚变将氢转化为。 这释放了大量的能量。 能量主要以可见光的形式流向地球。 能量通过辐射通过空空空间传播。 我们可以使用阳光作为能源资源,称为太阳能。

    Solar Energy as a Resource
    ::将太阳能作为一种资源

    Solar energy has been used on a small scale for hundreds of years. Today we are using solar energy for more of our power demands. Solar power plants are being built in many locations around the world. In the United States, the southwestern  deserts  are well suited for solar plants.
    ::数百年来,太阳能一直被小规模地使用。 今天,我们用太阳能来满足更多的电力需求。 太阳能发电厂正在世界各地建起。 在美国,西南沙漠非常适合太阳能发电厂。

    Solar Power Plants
    ::太阳能发电厂

    Sunlight is turned into electricity at a solar power plant. A large group of mirrors focuses sunlight on one place. This place is called a receiver ( Figure   ). At the receiver, a liquid such as  oil  or  water  is heated to a high  . The liquid transfers its heat by  conduction . In conduction, energy moves between two objects that are in contact. The warmer object transfers heat to the cooler object. At a solar power plant, the energy conducted by the heated liquid is used to make electricity.
    ::太阳光在太阳能发电厂变成电力。一大批反光镜将阳光集中在一个地方。这里称为接收器(图)。在接收器中,石油或水等液体被加热到高处。液体通过导电将热转换到高处。在操控中,两个接触物体之间的能量移动。较暖物体将热转移到冷却物体。在一个太阳能发电厂,加热液体的能量被用来发电。

    A solar power tower with reflective panels focusing sunlight to generate electricity.

     

    A solar power tower is used to concentrate the solar energy collected by many solar panels.
    ::太阳能电塔被用来集中许多太阳能电池板收集的太阳能。

    Solar Energy Use
    ::太阳能能源利用

    Solar energy is used to heat homes and water, and to make electricity. Scientists and engineers have many ways to get energy from the Sun ( Figure   ). One is by using solar cells. Solar cells are devices that turn sunlight directly into electricity. Lots of solar cells make up an individual solar panel. You may have seen solar panels on roof tops. The Sun’s heat can also be trapped in your home by using south facing windows and good  insulation .
    ::太阳能被用于取暖房屋和水,发电。科学家和工程师有许多方法从太阳获取能源(图 ) 。 其中一个方法就是使用太阳能电池。太阳能电池是直接将阳光转化为电力的装置。 许多太阳能电池组成了单独的太阳能电池板。 你可能见过顶部的太阳能电池板。 太阳的热能也可以通过使用南面的窗户和良好的绝缘来困在你的家中。

    Consequences of Solar Energy Use
    ::利用太阳能的后果

    Solar energy has many benefits. It does not produce any pollution, and there is plenty of it available—much more than we could possibly use.
    ::太阳能有许多好处,它不会产生任何污染,而且有很多可用的太阳能——远远超出我们所能使用的范围。

    But solar energy has problems. The Sun doesn't shine at night. A special battery is needed to store extra energy during the  day  for use at night. The technology for most uses of solar energy is still expensive. Until solar technology becomes more affordable, most people will prefer to get their energy from other sources.
    ::但太阳能有问题。太阳在夜间不亮。需要一种特殊的电池来储存白天的额外能源,用于夜间。 大部分太阳能使用的技术仍然昂贵。 在太阳能技术更加负担得起之前,大多数人宁愿从其他能源获取能源。

     

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Solar energy is the result of nuclear fusion in our nearest star.
      ::太阳能是我们最近的恒星核聚变的结果
    • A liquid is heated and moves that energy by conduction.
      ::液体加热,通过导电移动能量。
    • Solar power is expensive, but as demand increases, technology improves and costs decrease.
      ::太阳能发电费用昂贵,但随着需求的增加,技术的改进和成本的降低。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. How is solar power collected on a large scale?
      ::如何大规模收集太阳能发电?
    1. What are some of the disadvantages of depending on solar energy?
      ::依赖太阳能有哪些不利之处?
    1. What are some of the advantages of using solar energy?
      ::使用太阳能有哪些好处?