2020年经济学人 氢能--再看一眼玩具箱(2)

Readers of a certain age are now permitted to roll their eyes. At least twice in the past 50 years—in the 1970s, after the oil crisis,

某个年龄层的读者会表示不相信。在过去50年里——在20世纪70年代，石油危机之后

and in the 1990s, when climate change started to acquire political salience—

以及在20世纪90年代，当气候变化开始获得政治关注的时候——

there has been excited talk of replacing hydrocarbons² with hydrogen. It didn't happen.

至少出现了两次用氢取代碳氢化合物的令人兴奋的讨论。它没能成真。

There were several reasons for this. For a start, ripping up and replacing the world's fossil-fuel infrastructure³ is a huge job.

对此有几种原因。首先，取消并替换世界上的化石燃料基础设施是一项大工程。

And even were that an easy thing to accomplish, hydrogen itself has drawbacks.

即便这是件很容易完成的事情，氢本身也有缺点。

Though better than batteries, it stores less energy in a given volume than fossil fuels can manage.

虽然它比电池更好，但在一定体积内，它所储存的能量比化石燃料要少。

More important, it is not a primary fuel. You have to make it from something else.

更重要的是，它不是初级燃料。你需要从其他物质中获取它。

This can be done by a chemical reaction called steam reforming but, besides steam,

通过一种被称为蒸气重组的化学反应可以得到它，但除了蒸气，

the other ingredient of that process is a hydrocarbon¹ of some sort, which rather defeats the object of the exercise.

这一过程中的其他原料是某种碳氢化合物，它与这个过程的目的相抵。

Or it can be done by the electrolysis of water.

也可以通过电解水来实现。

This has appropriate green credentials⁴ as long as the electricity is either from renewable sources or a nuclear-power plant.

只要电力来自可再生能源或核电站，这就具有适当的绿色资质。

But the laws of thermodynamics mean that the energy content of the hydrogen

但热力学定律意味着

which comes out of the process is less than the electricity that went in.

从这个过程中产生的氢的内能比进入的电流要少。

This inbuilt inefficiency⁵ raises the question "why not simply power the end-use electrically, rather than using hydrogen as an intermediary?"

这种固有的低效率引发了一个问题，“为什么不直接用电来驱动最终用途，而是要将氢作为一种媒介呢？”

To counter these arguments those who believe that things hydrogen-related really are different this time around can point to two things in their favour.

要反驳这些争论，那些认为和氢有关的事物这次真的会有不同的人可以指出对他们有利的两个点。

Several of the relevant technologies, notably⁶ electrolytic equipment,

一些相关技术，尤其是电解加速设备，

are now at a stage where it is possible to believe they might soon become cheap enough to do the job.

目前正处于一个可以相信它们很快就会变得足够便宜的阶段。

And the idea that economies need to be decarbonised fully⁷ in order to curb⁸ climate change is gathering⁹ speed.

经济需要完全脱碳化以遏制气候变化的想法正在逐渐加速。

Until 2019, for instance, Britain had planned to cut carbon emissions¹⁰ by 80% from their levels in 1990 by 2050.

例如，直到2019年，英国计划，在2050年前，将碳排放量在1990年的水平上减少80%。

It then, however, upped the ante to become the first big economic power to commit itself to a 100% cut. This has implications for hydrogen.

但英国提高要求，要成为首个承诺100%减排的经济大国。此举对氢能有影响。

Electrification¹¹ using renewable sources such as wind and solar power would probably have got the country to 80%,

David Joffe观察称，使用风能和太阳能等可再生能源的电气化可能会让英国减排率到达80%，

observes David Joffe, a member of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC),

他是英国气候变化委员会（CCC）的成员，

an organisation¹² that advises Britain's government on how to bring the transformation¹³ about.

该组织为英国政府提供如何实现转型的建议。

But full decarbonisation, he says, is a much bigger task, and one for which hydrogen may prove necessary.

但全面脱碳化，他说，是一项更艰巨的任务，并且可能会需要氢。

1 hydrocarbon   

n.烃，碳氢化合物

参考例句：

• During incomplete combustion some of the hydrocarbon fuel is cracked.在不完全的燃烧中，一些烃燃料裂解。
• The hydrocarbon must be an alkene.这个碳氢化合物必定是烯烃。

2 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

5 inefficiency   

n.无效率，无能；无效率事例

参考例句：

• Conflict between management and workers makes for inefficiency in the workplace. 资方与工人之间的冲突使得工厂生产效率很低。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This type of inefficiency arises because workers and management are ill-equipped. 出现此种低效率是因为工人与管理层都能力不足。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

9 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

10 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。

11 electrification   

n.充电，电气化；起电；电化；带电

参考例句：

• Electrification of the countryside--yes, that, too, is impressive. 是的。农村电气化也是了不起的事。 来自演讲部分
• After electrification, it will readily stick to a wall or a ceiling. 起电后，它立即吸附到墙壁上或天花板上。 来自辞典例句

12 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

13 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。