VOA标准英语2011--Model Home Shows off Renewable Energy Te

Model Home Shows off Renewable Energy Technology in Senegal

In Senegal, a model "green house" is showcasing renewable energy technologies as part of efforts between the Israeli and Senegalese government to improve food production and reduce dependence¹ on fossil fuels.
The Israeli ambassador's residence in Dakar has undergone an eco-friendly renovation² to better use renewable energy. Ambassador Gideon Behar says it is a model for how people can live in balance with their environment.
"We have added first of all a system of irrigation which is called drip irrigation which uses much less water and in a more effective way. So all the garden is installed with a goutte-a-goutte or drip irrigation. In addition to that, we have added solar energy either for heating the water for showers or the kitchen uses but also solar system for the electricity of the house," he said.
The model home includes an aquaculture project that Ambassador Behar says can help improve Senegalese nutrition. "We are growing fish. We want to show people here in Senegal that it is very possible, with small pools of water which exist everywhere in Senegal and also in Africa, that you can grow enough food, enough protein for your needs as a family," he said.
'Solar power'
The launch of the Israeli embassy's "green house" featured Israeli businesses that are investing in renewable energy. Senegal's Minister of Renewable Energy, Louis Seck, says that is especially important here in the Sahel.
Seck says Senegal has an abundance of solar energy for pumping water, for heating water, and for running equipment like computers. So he believes the Israeli initiative is a great part of developing renewable energy in the country.
Seck says engineers are trying to combine solar power with the national electricity provider, Senelec. That is already part of a law that is being drafted to allow people to sell back their excess solar power to Senelec. Seck says the government's goal is for solar power to produce 60 percent of all household energy.
Eyal Ben-Yaacov from the Israeli firm AMN Sun Solar says solar power allows people outside Senelec's national electricity grid³ to have power sooner, much as cellular⁴ phones have connected villages that are still waiting for landlines.
"The problem here in Africa is the grid. And when you take an off-grid system and you bring it much faster, much cheaper to the countryside to the villages, this is something that would take years and years and years to do with the grid," said Ben-Yaacov.
Improving daily lives
Seck says solar power can rapidly improve the daily lives of the Senegalese people.
Seck says the government is asking everyone in Senegal to be inspired by the Isreali project which promotes a new type of housing in which a big part of the energy used is generated by solar power.
Behar says renewable energy is essential to meeting the challenges of global climate change. "It's a collective effort. It is in our hands the possibility to help and to protect our environment. If we don't do it now, it will be a disaster. Senegal and the Sahel countries in Africa suffer a lot from desertification, from deterioration⁵ of soil of land of climate change. If we don't take immediate⁶ action now, there will be a big disaster for these parts of Africa," said Behar.
The Israeli and Senegalese governments are also working to adapt new technologies to solve the country's energy crisis, as daily blackouts show Senelec's inability to meet growing demands for electricity at a time of higher oil prices.

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

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 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

5 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。