能源利用之前世今生编辑本段回目录
1.The Century of Coal
1.煤炭世纪
In the late 18th century coal became one of the most sought-after natural resources. The result over time was large-scale industrialization, urbanization and mobilization, especially in Europe and North America. The transportation of people, goods and energy sources became more efficient and easier, and the world grew more tightly connected. A major disadvantage of coal combustion—and characteristic of industrial cities—has been air pollution by soot, dust, ash, exhaust and large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
十八世纪末期，煤炭成为最抢手的自然资源。随着时间的推移，形成大规模工业化、城市化和人员流动（尤其在欧洲和北美洲）的结果。人员、货物和能源的运输效率越来越高，也越来越容易，把世界更紧密地联系起来。煤炭燃烧的主要缺点——也是工业城市的特色——是烟尘、粉尘、灰渣和废气以及大量的温室气体二氧化碳污染了空气。
2.The High-Energy Society
2.高能源社会
In the 20th century petroleum became the most important source of energy. Above all, it served as fuel for internal combustion engines that revolutionized mobility, production and everyday life. The rising living standard of millions was based on growing energy consumption. "High-energy societies" emerged.
二十世纪，石油成为最重要的能源。首先，它充当内燃机的燃料，彻底改变了机动车、生产和日常生活。随着日益增长的能源消耗，数百万人提高了生活水平，涌现出“高能源社会”
3.Power Savers
3.节能装置
In a future in which societies depend more on wind and solar power, improved battery technology that stores regenerated power as chemical energy could deliver sustainable electricity when the wind is calm or sunlight is unavailable. Used in electric vehicles, batteries could be "refueled" in minutes at special service stations that provide fluid electrolytes to enable conduction.
在社会更依赖风能和电能的未来，将再生能源储存为化学能源的电池改良技术有可能在无风或没有阳光的日子里提供可持续的电力。在提供可以传输的液体电解质特殊服务站，能在几分钟之内为电动车的电池“加满油”。
4.Electricity from within Earth
4.来自地球内部的电力
Geothermal energy, using heat extracted from subsurface sources, has a high potential for innovation and development, and could contribute to a sustainable energy mix. It is available anytime and anywhere—regardless of season, climate and time of day—and is practically inexhaustible.
从地下资源中提取的地热能具有创新和开发的高潜能，能够产生可持续的混合能源。任何时间、任何地点都能利用地热——不论季节、气候和时间——而且几乎取之不尽。
5.Biomass Gas
5.生物质燃气
Biomass is a regionally available energy resource that could help reduce CO2 emissions. It is a renewable and storage-capable carbon carrier that is primarily suited to the production of fuels—to power cars, for example. Synthetic fuels have the advantage of being purer and more environmentally compatible than petroleum-based products.
生物质是区域性现有能源，有助于减少二氧化碳排放。这是可再生也可储存的碳载体，主要适用于燃油产品——比如动力汽车。合成燃料具有比石油产品更洁净、更环保的优势。
6.Bringing the Sun's Fire to Earth
6.把太阳之火引向地球
The aim of nuclear fusion research is to achieve on Earth the same kinds of reactions that generate the Sun's incredible power. One gram of the products from the fusion of two light atomic nuclei could generate as much energy as 11 tons of coal. Requiring temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius, the fusion reactions have to be contained in magnetic fields.
核聚变研究的目的，是在地球上实现与生成惊人的太阳能量相同的反应。两个氢原子核融合产生的一克产品能够产生相当于11吨煤炭产生的能量。聚变反应必须控制在磁场内，需要一亿摄氏度的温度。
7.Energy from the High Seas
7.来自远海的能源
Offshore wind farm technology, which is still relatively young, has a number of benefits: It is widely accepted as a renewable energy source, and it relies on offshore winds over the open sea—which are considerably stronger and more reliable than those over land. Wind farms can generate an output equal to a large coal-fired power station.
相对来说依然年轻的离岸风电场技术有许多好处：人们普遍承认它是可再生能源。它依赖远海的离岸风，因为比陆地风更强大也更可靠。风电场能产生相当于大型燃煤发电厂生产的能量。
8.The Power of the Sun
8.太阳能
The photoelectric effect was discovered by Alexandre E. Becquerel in 1839, and Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his physical explanation of it in 1921. Scientists from Bell Labs invented the solar cell in 1954. Today, the antireflective coating on solar cells is optimized to the wavelength of the solar spectrum emitting the largest amount of photons (light particles). As a result, the light reflected by the solar cell appears blue.
1839年，亚历山大·E·贝克勒尔发现了光电效应。1921年，阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦因自己的物理解释荣获诺贝尔奖。1954年，贝尔实验室发明了太阳能电池。今天，太阳能电池上的抗反射涂层尽量充分利用太阳光谱波长，排放最大量光粒子。结果使太阳能电池反射的光呈现出蓝色。
