科技动态:潮汐能开始向居民供电了

Here is another cutting-edge technological¹ project off the North coast of Scotland. Power companies have listed 10 sites on the seabed to turn wave and tidal energy into electricity.

苏格兰的北海岸现在有了一项前端的技术项目。电力公司列出了海床上10个转化潮汐能为电能的地点。

Such a cool idea, They aim to power 750,000 homes by 2020. David Shukman of BBC, check it out.

这是一个好注意，到2020年，潮汐能将为750,000户人家提供能量。BBC新闻，David Shukman报道。

Inch by inch, a new source of power is taking shape, the size of a submarine. Here at the dock side at Leeds near Edinburgh this vast machine will make electricity from the waves. Nearby, lying amounts of coal. It was coal that powered industrial revolution. Could sea power ever do the same?

一点一点地，这种新型能源的使用慢慢成形，相关机器有潜水艇大小。这种大型机器将在爱丁堡附近的利兹市的码头投入使用，将潮汐变成电能。之前，周围用户都是使用燃煤能源。曾经，正是燃煤能源促进了工业革命，而今，海洋也能引发一场能源革命吗？

This components³ is now being lowered into the sea and operation will have to be repeated thousands of times. And a start what's been described as a new era of harnessing the power of the sea.

相关部件将会被放入海中并运转成千上万次。潮汐能源的运用被认为是开启了利用海洋能源的新时代。

This system captures the swill⁴. Each wave passing along the cylinders⁶, moves the hinges that connect them. And that motion drives generators⁸.

这个系统会捕捉潮汐。当潮汐经过汽缸，会连接气缸的铰链，铰链的移动带动发动机的运转。

"So it's not alone"

“所以，不光是这些”

Near assembly hall, I was given the chance to see inside, down through the hatch.

在大厅，我有机会进入到汽缸内，下到里面去看一看。

"Wow, it's just like being inside a submarine." It's one section stretches through the gloom for 34 meters. Out the sea, there will be no one in here. The whole thing rocking with the waves. "And here, at the end of this gaint cylinder⁵ is where they actually generate the power. Let me show you how that's done. Every time a wave passes along this system, the cylinders move at where they are hinged. There are these huge hydronic pumps, like bicycle pumps. And that captures the energy of the waves is channeled into a generator⁷ like this, and ends up producing electricity."

“感觉就像进入了潜水定一样。”一截汽缸有34米长。汽缸进入海洋就不能有任何人留在里面，整个汽缸都会随着潮水翻滚。“这里，在这个巨型汽缸的尽头。就是发动机产生能量的地方。让我来向你展示它是如何运作的。每次潮水经过这个系统，汽缸带铰链的部分就会移动。这里有巨大的液体循环泵，就像自行车打气筒一样，从而产生能量。这就是从潮汐将能量传送到发动机，并产生电能的过程。”

But what happens if there aren't any waves. "This thing will be useless on a flat day." "On a flat day, we won't produce any power. That's right, but important thing is the contribution average within a year, every make what we generate is a make what it doesn't need be fronted by force of fuels."

但是如果没有潮汐怎么办？“在无风的日子，这项技术将会毫无用武之地。”“在无风日，我们无法产生任何能量。对，但重要的是这项技术一年中平均能产生大量电能。一天能够使用潮汐能，就意味着少一天担心燃料能源的问题。”

This plan to harness the power of the sea is the largest of its kind in the world. Electricity for 750,000 homes could be generated if all the projects go ahead. That's 1.2 GW, roughly what a big conventional power station generates. "

这项计划是全世界利用海洋能源中规模最大的。如果计划顺利实行，将会为750,000户人家提供电能。粗略估计，相当于一个发电量在12亿瓦特的传统发电站。

"That's a very important day. What we've actually done is taking a very big step to making a new technology, renew energy technology—wave in tidal, commercially deployed⁹ on a grand...on a big scale."

“这是非常重要的一天。我们做的只是在开发新能源的工作上更近了一步，创新潮汐的能源技术。在很大程度上更近了一步。”

The designs range from wave machine, swinging in the swill, to gaint turbines, spinning in the tides and huge porpellers harnessing the currents. Another component² is launched. There may yet be unexpected costs or challenges, it's still early days.

这项计划的设计包括汽缸，潮汐，巨型涡轮，水流以及四叶螺旋桨运动等很多领域。另一个关键要素是如何发射汽缸。这项计划还在起步阶段，实施中还会遇到各种挑战和计划外开销。

David Shukman, BBC news, in Leeds

David Shukman，BBC新闻，利兹市报道。

1 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

2 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

3 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

4 swill   

v.冲洗；痛饮；n.泔脚饲料；猪食；（谈话或写作中的）无意义的话

参考例句：

• Having finished his coffee,he swilled out the mug and left it on the draining board.喝完咖啡后，他涮了涮杯子然后把它放在滴水板上。
• A crowd of men were standing around swilling beer.一群人正站在一起痛饮啤酒。

5 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

6 cylinders   

n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物

参考例句：

• They are working on all cylinders to get the job finished. 他们正在竭尽全力争取把这工作干完。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That jeep has four cylinders. 那辆吉普车有4个汽缸。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。