Some US Schools Getting Electricity from the Sun

The cost for homes in the United States to "go solar" has dropped by more than 60 percent over the last 10 years.
过去十年，使用“光伏发电”的美国家庭花销成本下降了60%多。
Going solar means changing to an electrical source powered by the sun instead of coal or other dirty fuels.
光伏发电”的意思就是改变电力获取方式，用太阳能代替由煤炭和其他非清洁型燃料产生的电能。
The dropping costs helped persuade more than a million Americans to put solar panels on top of their homes.
成本下降促使一百多万美国人在家里的屋顶上安装太阳能电池板。
Now, some public school systems are doing the same, including the schools in Fremont, Indiana. The people in this small town have always depended on sun to grow their crops and help bring visitors to their lakes.
现在，一些公立学校，如印第安纳州弗里蒙特市的学校，也开始使用太阳能电池板。弗里蒙特小镇的人们一直依靠阳光种植农作物，还凭此吸引游客前来当地湖泊游览。
William Stitt leads Fremont’s school system.
威廉·斯蒂特主持领导弗里蒙特的教育系统工作。
The technology has advanced so far in the last couple of years that it’s become more energy efficient, more cost effective for schools to get solar energy.
“过去两年，科技发展得很快，能源利用率不断提高，学校获取太阳能的成本效益也更加合算。”
Fremont will spend $3 million to build the solar project. When the system is in place, it will fully power the elementary, middle and high school buildings. It may even produce additional electricity that the school can sell to the power company.
弗里蒙特将花费300万美元进行太阳能项目建设。当太阳能系统到位时，弗里蒙特全部小学、初中和高中所有的建筑都将由太阳能供电。甚至还可以有剩余电力，供学校售卖给能源公司。
Several lines of 3,000 to 4,000 panels will be placed in a 2.5-hectare solar field behind the middle school. The school system will pay the local electricity company for use of its solar equipment. That periodic fee is to remain the same for 20 years.
在该校后边2.5公顷的太阳能发电场里，将成排摆放3000到4000块太阳能电池板。弗里蒙特市教育系统将会向当地电力公司付款使用太阳能设备。但费用20年不变。
Kim Quick is the head of building operations for the Fremont school system.
金·奎克是弗里蒙特教育体系建设业务的负责人。
He said Fremont schools will save money even with equipment fees. Unlike electricity costs, the equipment use fees will not go up. And, Quick said, the panels should last 40 years.
据他表示，弗里蒙特市的学校甚至在设备费用上也可以节省资金。和电费不同，太阳能设备使用费不会上涨。而且，奎克还说，那些太阳能电池板能持续使用40年。
After the 20 years of fees, the school district will fully own the panels. Then, the electric power they create will be free of cost.
支付20年的费用后，学区可以完全拥有这些电池板。之后他们产生的电力将是零成本。
Just three percent of the nation’s 125,000 schools use some form of solar power. Some have higher related costs than others. But, a recent report from the Solar Foundation, a non-profit interest group, says 72,000 U.S. schools, or 60 percent, could save money with solar.
在全美12.5万所学校中，只有3%的学校使用太阳能。其中一些学校的成本要比其他学校高。但是，据公益性组织太阳能基金会最近的一项报告显示，7.2万所美国学校，或者说60%的美国学校使用太阳能发电可以节省资金。
Schools could put panels on their buildings or place a field of panels over a car park. The Solar Foundation says those methods would save most schools an average of $1 million over 30 years.
学校可以将太阳能电池板放置在建筑物顶上，或是在停车场隔出一块场地用作太阳能电厂。据太阳能基金会表示，这些方法可以为大多数学校在30年里平均节省100万美元资金。
Going solar might also offer schools valuable educational possibilities. It gives teachers a reason to teach related lessons on science, technology, engineering and math.
使用太阳能也可能为学校提供宝贵的教育机会。它可以让老师有理由去教授科学、技术、工程和数学等方面的相关课程。
All three schools in Fremont will have a display that kids can visit daily to learn how much energy is being used and saved.
弗里蒙特全部三所学校都会举办展览，供孩子们每天参观，让他们知道使用和节省了多少电力资源。
Fremont school system’s William Stitt is already looking to the future.
弗里蒙特教育体系的威廉·斯蒂特已开始展望未来。
I’d love, you know, the community and the kids in 40 years to go, Man, they made a great decision 40 years ago by creating this solar project!’
“我真想看看40年之后的社区和孩子们，他们会说，‘天呐，他们40年前发起这项太阳能项目的决定真是棒极了’！”
If all goes as planned, the Fremont school system’s new solar field will be in operation by July.
如果一切按计划进行，弗里蒙特教育体系的新太阳能发电场将会在七月投入使用。
I’m Alice Bryant.
我是爱丽丝·布莱恩特。