VOA标准英语2014--新的太阳能电池减少生产中对环境的危害

 

New Solar Cell Minimizes Environmental Risks in Manufacturing Process 新的太阳能电池减少生产中对环境的危害

Scientists in England report the development of a new solar cell that minimizes environmental risks in the manufacturing process by using an element used in bath salts.

Many of the solar panels you see on roof tops use special materials called semiconductors¹ such as silicon² to generate electricity. However, silicone is not especially good at absorbing sunlight, says Jon Major, physics professor at the University of Liverpool in England.

“To absorb a useful amount of sunlight with silicon we would need to use around 200 micrometers of material." Major said. "For absorbers such as cadmium telluride, we need to use only 1 percent of the same material.”    

Which is why cadmium telluride is now firmly established as the market standard for making the next generation of solar cells.  It results in more flexible panels and dramatically outperforms silicone, with one major drawback.

“The problem is cadmium telluride itself is a highly toxic³ compound," Major said. "It’s been linked to genetic⁴ defect, and if it gets into the water supply, it can poison fish for generations.”

That’s why Major and his colleagues started looking for alternatives to cadmium chloride, the crystalline compound used in the solar cell manufacturing process. As they report in Nature, they found that magnesium⁵ chloride is an efficient, low cost and harmless substitute.

“It is simply recovered from sea water and it is currently used in a number of applications such as salt roads in icy conditions," Major said. "You can buy it as a health supplement or mineral bath soak.  It’s also used as coagulate for the production of tofu.”

Major has filed a patent on the manufacturing process using magnesium chloride, but says it will take time for the industry to adopt it.

“The only reason we can really say why no one has these is because cadmium chloride works really well, and if it isn’t broke, then no one has bothered to fix it," he said. "So, I mean for myself, I’ve been working with cadmium telluride solar cells for about 10 years now and cadmium chloride has always been viewed as the process. That’s the one you use.  That’s how you make solar cells and no one has really varied⁶ from that.”

Major will continue to refine the process for its potential in the solar industry. 

“The work is a good example of the important role academic research can play in industrially established technologies,” he said.

1 semiconductors   

n.半导体( semiconductor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Crystals may be insulators, semiconductors, or conductors. 晶体可以是绝缘体，半导体，或导体。 来自辞典例句
• Semiconductors containing such impurities are called p-type semiconductors. 含有这类杂质的半导体叫做P型半导体。 来自辞典例句

2 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

3 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 magnesium   

n.镁

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The water contains high amounts of magnesium.这水含有大量的镁。

6 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。