VOA慢速英语:Solar Power Development Could Harm The Local Environment

The world's largest solar thermal plant is set to begin producing power in the United States by the end of the year. Wind and energy from the sun are generally considered clean, unlike energy from coal-burning power stations. However, environmentalists now worry that to much solar power development could harm the local environment.
世界上最大的太阳能热电厂预计将于今年年底在美国开始发电。风能和太阳能不像燃发电产生的能源，通常被认为是清洁能源。然而，环保人士现在担心过多的太阳能发电发展会损害当地环境。

A California company -- BrightSource Energy is building a huge solar power plant in the Mojave desert, about 60 kilometers southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The plant is known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Joe Desmond works for the company.
一家加州公司BrightSource Energy正在内华达州拉斯维加斯市西南约60公里的莫哈韦沙漠修建一个巨大的太阳能发电厂。该电厂被称为艾文帕太阳能发电系统。Joe Desmond在该公司就职。

"This is actually one of the highest concentrations of sunlight in the world, out here in Ivanpah," explained Desmond.
Desmond解释说，“实际上，这里是全球太阳能高度集中的地区之一。”

BrightSource Energy will deploy 170,000 specially designed mirrors to direct solar energy towards boilers on top of three power towers. The steam produced in the boilers will drive turbines to make electricity.
BrightSource Energy将在这里部署170万组特制的反射镜，将太阳能反射到三个发电塔顶部的锅炉上，锅炉产生的蒸汽将推动涡轮机发电。

Joe Desmond says the steam can reach temperatures of more than 260 degrees Celsius.
Joe Desmond称，蒸汽的温度能够达到摄氏260多度。

"We can store the sun's thermal energy in the form of molten salt, so we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down. There is a lot of interest in concentrating solar power around the globe in environments where you have lots of sun, such as China, South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa," explained Desmond.
Desmond解释称，“我们可以将太阳的热能以熔融盐的形式储存起来，这样即使太阳下山时我们也能够发电。全球阳光充足的国家对聚光太阳能发电都很感兴趣，如中国、南非、中东和北非。”

Environmentalists generally support the idea of solar power, however, many are concerned about the effect of power plants on sensitive environment.
环保人士普遍支持太阳能发电的想法，然而，许多人担心太阳能电厂对敏感环境的影响。

Lisa Belenky is a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, a private group. She says environmentalists are specifically worried about the effect of the Ivanpah Solar Project on the sensitive plant and animal life in that part of Mojave desert.
Lisa Belenky是一个私人组织，生物多样性研究中心的一名律师。她说，环保人士特别担心艾文帕太阳能项目对莫哈韦沙漠该地区敏感植物和动物的影响。

"Even though the desert seems big, when you start cutting it up, it can really affect how the species and the animals and the plants are able to survive in the long run," said Lisa Belenky.
Lisa Belenky称，“即使沙漠看起来很大，当你将它分割开来，就会确实影响到各物种和动、植物的长久生存。”

BrightSource Energy has already spent more than $50 million to move endangered desert tortoises away from the power plant, but Lisa Belenky says this is not the answer.
BrightSource Energy已经花费超过5千万美元让濒危沙漠龟远离电厂，但Lisa Belenky称，这还不是解决之道。

"We should be reusing areas that have already been disturbed, [like] old mining sites, for example... either on homes, on businesses, parking lots," said Belenky.
Belenky说，“我们应该重新使用已经被扰乱的地方，例如旧煤矿矿区，家里，企业，或停车场。”

There have also been reports of birds dying at the Ivanpah Plant and others like it. Some birds die after colliding with solar equipment which the animals mistake for water. Other birds were killed or suffered burns after flying through the intense heat at the solar thermal plant. As solar projects increase, environmentalists and developers are considering what to do to reduce bird death.
已经有报道称鸟类在艾文帕电厂及类似地区死亡。一些鸟撞上它们误以为是水的太阳能设备而死亡，还有些鸟在飞越太阳能热电厂的高温区域后死亡或被灼伤。由于太阳能项目的增加，环保人士和开发商都在考虑怎样才能减少鸟类死亡。