[英文 怎麼說] 替代能源方案─與傳統石油的對抗

替代能源方案─與傳統石油的對抗

   by  slworking2 

替代能源向來是很重要的項目和議題，幾年前受惠於開採技術的進步，美國的頁岩油(shale oil)產量大增，讓大家一度恐慌的石油危機，打了一劑預防針，能源荒災似乎又不這麼急迫了。再加上這幾個月油價持續下跌(95無鉛 NT26.4/公升)，能源相關產業也
受到波及。除了石油總有一天會用完以外，替代能源想解決的問題，當然還是要減少環境汙染，延緩溫室效應，但在市場上競爭，除了轉換效率和儲電技術，勢必逃不過價格戰。中東產油大國寧願讓油價繼續下探，也不願因此減產，把價差拉高，讓頁岩油失去的價格競爭的能力。

本篇文章分別介紹「摩電」(tribo-electric)和「微電網」(microgrid)這兩個和能源相關的科技。「摩電」是一個新的技術，利用摩擦來產生電力。透過這個技術連輕吹一口氣都可以啟動一顆小LED燈泡。除了小型自供電的應用，研發這個技術的教授企圖將它用在大型發電上，像是海浪發電工廠，大家可以看看技術示範的影片，發電的瞬間真的非常有趣。

另外，微電網(microgrid)則是可以在公共電網外獨立運作的電力系統。它的電源主要是太陽能、風力等再生能源，透過微電網收集並儲存在自家的電池，再根據電路配置供給電力甚至是回賣給公共電網的電力公司。微電網的使用擴及到自家用戶，主要是一些電費較貴的地區，像是需要昂貴運油發電的夏威夷，或是風災斷電較頻繁的地區。文章提到美國的公共電網實在太差也是促成微電網使用的原因之一。

微電網也受到傳統公共電網的抑制，微電網系統雖由民營企業提供，但在安裝時需要透過公共事業(utility)的申請和安置。美國就傳出公共事業刻意龜速的安裝效率，500名消費者申請安裝居家電池系統，實際安裝戶只有19家，遭到太陽能板業者控訴。看樣子替代能源這條路上，除了技術和消費者動機以外，如何和現行既得利益者抗衡，也是一大難關。

最後來看幸運先安裝到微電網的Tarsia，以她的感想來當這次的經典句吧

"It's better than buying a diesel(柴油) generator. That's messy, and I have to make sure there is fuel," she said. "The battery is an emergency backup that will last for years."


喬治亞理工學院(Georgia Institute of Technology)的「摩電」DEMO

原文報導:
1. Microgrid sales rise alongside qualms about the power grid
2. Is tribo-electric the new clean energy solution?



Interesting Words:
1. be hooked on sth: 著迷、沉迷、熱愛
hook是鉤子的意思，著名的虎克船長就是用hook當人名，
聯想虎克船長的鉤子，這單字就很好記
被鉤子勾住引申為著迷、沉迷的意思
文章句子說明很多人沉迷在手機平板等行動裝置
是非常好用的句子XD
Ex: A rising population is hooked on digital gadgets

2. mogul: 權貴、巨頭、大人物
指有錢有權的人物，沒什麼特別引申義
只是好像一直是焦點話題，值得大家記一下

3. rate: 價格
rate比較為人所知的意思是速率、頻率
其實它也可以當作價格、薪酬
Ex: electricity rate = 電價
standard rate= 標準薪酬


Vocabulary list (Data base)
1. energize: 激發、激勵、使精力充沛
Ex: This article would energize you

2. downside: 缺點
Ex: One downside of gasoilne is pollusion

3. intriguing:新奇的、有魅力的、引人入勝的
Ex: There are many intriguing concepts to generate electricity

4. harness: 捕捉
Ex: harness everyday movemnt to generate electricity

5. gadget: (可隨身攜帶的)小裝置 如手表、手機、平板等
Ex: Piezoelectric generation may have have potential for small-scale charging.

6. deployment: (有效的)利用

7. It holds little potential: 不太可能
Ex: Piezoelectric generation holds little potential for large scale deployment. 

8. setup: (元件的)配置、構造
Ex: Here's how EarthTeching describes the setup of triboelectricity.

9. revolution: 轉動
Ex: at a top speed of 3000 revolutions per minute

10. magnetic-induction turbine: 電磁感應發電機

11. untapped:未開發的、未利用的
Ex: This technology can supply energy from sources that have previously been left untapped.

12. qualm: 不安、疑慮 =worry, concern
Ex: Microgrid sales rise alongside qualms about the power grid

13. periodic 週期性的、時常的 = occasionally 

14. blackout: 停電、斷電
Ex: the periodic blackout in California

15. outage: 停電
Ex: the outages aren't a problem anymore.

16. house: 安裝、提供空間
Ex: Her garage has housed a suitcase-sized battery

17. pioneering: 先驅的、走在前端的
Ex: Pioneering homeowners use microgrid to reduce power bills

18. agency: 政府機構
Ex: government agency

19. utility: 公共設施 如電、水
Ex: utility bills 水電費

20. poised: 準備就緒、預期將 = ready
Ex: Spending on microgrid projects is poised to explode to $19.9 billion

21. commerce: 商務、貿易
Ex: online commerce giant eBay Inc.

22. mogul: 權貴、巨頭、大人物
Ex: British mogul Richard Brandson

23. pull together: 匯集、整合
Ex: Microgrids pull together different energy sources and operate independently in an emergency.

24. diesel:柴油

25. infrastructure: 基礎建設
Ex: America's aging infrastructure

26. hooked on: 著迷
Ex: Young population is increasingly hooled on digital gadgets

27. lay bare: 暴露
Ex: Widespread blackouts from storm laid bare the grid's vulnerabilities.

28. the economics make sense: 經濟上划算

29. rate:價格
Ex: electricity rate 電價

30. justify: 使合理
Ex: Families with big utility bils can justify the expense more quickly

31. sink money into: 砸大錢
Ex: Large institutions may have to sink millions into a project.

32. advorsory: 顧問的
Ex: clean-tech adversory leader

33. a hurdle against: 阻礙

34. wide adoption: 廣泛的採用
Ex: the high cost of bateries is one big hurdle against wider adoption.

35. appliance:家電

36. at the forefront of: 先驅、最前沿
Ex: Islands with high electricity rates are at hte forfront of microgrid adoptions.

37. shipment: 運輸
Ex: Many depend on costly fuel shipments to power their grids.

38. incentive: 鼓勵、獎勵
Ex: It has given us incentive to setup microgrids.

Reading articles and example sentences are from Answers in New Energy Technology, Dec. 4-6, 2014)

Notes of lives相關文章:
[英文 怎麼說] 提高工作產能 ─ 效率來自於習慣