VOA慢速英语2014 高新技术材料给建筑降温,将热量送入太空

 

High-Tech¹ Material Cools Buildings, Sends Heat Into Space 高新技术材料给建筑降温,将热量送入太空

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new material that can move heat out of buildings and into space. The researchers say the material can cool buildings even on hot days.

The cooling material is a very thin sheet with many layers that could be placed on a roof like solar panels³. However, instead of turning sunlight into energy as solar panels do, the material turns heat into infrared⁴ radiation.

Shanhui Fan is an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University.  He says that the panels have a layer of material that is like sand. He says that the panels act like a mirror.  They take heat out of buildings and reflect the light from the sun. He says both the heat and sunlight are sent 100 kilometers into outer space. 

"It's a structure that cools itself without electricity input⁵, even under the sun.  So, what it does is basically radiate⁶ heat to outer space and also reflect the sunlight so it doesn't get heated up by the sun.  And the net result is you get something that if you put on the roof will have a temperature below ambient air temperature by a significant amount."

The panels are cool to the touch, even in the sun. Researchers say they can reduce the indoor temperature to nearly 5 degrees Celsius⁷ below the temperature outside.

Mr. Fan says it is like having a window into space. He says the heat is sent directly into space without warming the air.

He says buildings in developing countries that do not have electricity or air conditioning could use the panels.

“In areas where one is off-grid, there is a significant potential benefit for storing medicine or even food.  In many of these situations, being able to reduce the temperature is important. And this would provide a way to do it."

The Stanford researchers described their technology in the science publication Nature. They say the main problem is creating actual cooling systems using the high-tech panels. They say it may be possible to develop a cooling spray that could be used on existing solid structures.

The researchers believe the cooling spray technology could be developed in the next three to five years.  They say as much as 15 percent of the energy used in the United States is spent providing power to air conditioning systems.

Words in This Story

air conditioning – n. a system used for cooling and drying the air in a building, room, etc.

infrared – adj. producing or using rays of light that cannot be seen and that are longer than rays that produce red light

radiation – n. energy that comes from a source in the form of waves or rays you cannot see

solar panel² – n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 panel   

n.面，板，专门小组，控制板，仪表盘

参考例句：

• The unusual control panel on the walls caught our attention.墙上不同寻常的控制板引起了我们的注意。
• The panel of judges included several well-known writers.评判小组中包括几位知名作家。

3 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

4 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

5 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

6 radiate   

v.发出(光或热)，辐射，流露，显示

参考例句：

• Avenues radiate from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.在巴黎，街道以凯旋门为中心向四方伸展。
• Light and heat radiate from the sun.光和热发自太阳。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。