VOA慢速英语:Large Windows Could Capture Solar Energy(翻译)

Solar cells have been around since the 1950s. But now there is a race to develop transparent solar cells that can cover windows of buildings and still capture the sun’s light for electricity.
自20世纪50年代起就有了太阳能电池。但目前人们争相开发透明的太阳能电池，不仅能覆盖在建筑的窗子上，还能捕捉太阳光进行发电。

There are three kinds of light that reach our planet from the sun. They are ultraviolet light, or UV, visible light, and infrared light. Together they make up what is called the solar spectrum.
太阳光中有三种光能够到达地球。这三种光分别是紫外线（UV）、可见光和红外线。它们一起就构成所谓的太阳光谱。

Troy Townsend is a solar cell researcher at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Troy Townsend是马里兰圣玛利亚学院有关太阳能电池的研究人员。

He says working with the transparent solar technology for windows means you cut the efficiency in half. That is because you are letting visible light—light you can see—pass through the solar cells instead of capturing and using that light to make electricity.
他表示，研究为窗子研究透明的太阳能科技就意味着效率会降低一半。这是因为，我们要让可见光穿过太阳能电池，而不是捕捉利用可见光进行发电。

That leaves only light from the ultraviolet and infrared parts of the light spectrum to make electricity.
这就意味着光谱中只有紫外线和红外线是用来发电的。

He spoke to VOA via Skype.
他通过Skype接受了VOA的采访。

“One of the major challenges with transparent solar cells is developing a system that would allow you to absorb the maximum amount of UV and the maximum amount of infrared.”
“透明太阳能电池最主要的挑战之一是开发一个系统，该系统能够最大限度的吸收紫外线和红外线。”

Because glass absorbs UV light, Townsend says the efficiency will drop even more, if the solar cell is on the inside of the window. But if the cell is put on the outside of the window, it could capture the light before it goes through the glass.
Townsend表示，由于玻璃能吸收紫外线，因此如果太阳能电池安装在窗子内部，效率会更低。但如果将太阳能电池安装在窗子外部，太阳能电池就能在太阳光穿过玻璃之前捕捉到可用光线。

That would require the cell to be protected from the elements of heat, moisture, and cold. Townsend says the trick would be to find a clear material that would cover the cell—and still let the light come through.
这就要求太阳能电池能够不受高温、湿度以及寒冷等因素的影响。Townsend表示关键在于找到一种透明的材料，可安装在电池表面，同时又能让光通过。

Several colleges and private laboratories are working to develop photovoltaic compounds that could be applied to windows. They would be transparent, which means, you can see through them. So they would be able to collect the sun’s energy without blocking the view through the window.
数所高校和私人实验室正在研发可用于窗子的光伏化合物。这些化合物须是透明的，也就是说可以看透这个化合物。因此，这些化合物在不遮挡视野的前提下可以聚集太阳能。

SolarWindows Technologies in Maryland says it has developed an efficient transparent solar cell. John Conklin is head of the company.
马里兰的太阳能窗科技公司（SolarWindows Technologies）表示已经研发了一种高效透明的太阳能电池。John Conklin是该公司的负责人。

“We have actually taken a technology, organic photovoltaics, and innovated it into transparent technology, applied it to window glass and turned a passive window into an active electricity generating window.”
“我们采用了一项科技，利用有机光伏，结合透明技术，用于窗户的玻璃中，将被动的窗子化为主动发电的窗子。”

Conklin says a solar window can be totally transparent. Or it could be tinted, or colored, which makes it more efficient.
Conklin表示太阳能窗子是全透明的。或者是有着色的，着色能让太阳能窗子的效率更高。

We can make the color darker or lighter, or blend the colors to go with the blue-green, a green-grey, a brown, depending on what the architect, the building owner or the building developers is looking at.”
“我们可以根据建筑师、建筑所有人或者开发商的看法，给玻璃着色，使其颜色加深或者变浅，或者改成混合色的，如青绿色、灰绿色或者棕色。”

Conklin says his company is working with the U.S. Department of Energy to test and develop the technology.And he plans to have a commercial-ready product by the end of 2017. If he is successful, Conklin says his electricity-making window could pay for itself in one year.
Conklin表示该公司正与美国能源部合作，测试并开发此项技术。他计划在2017年底拿出可用于商业目的的产品。Conklin说道，如果能成功，这种发电的窗子一年内就能为自己买单了。

According to a 2012 survey, there are 5.6 million commercial buildings in the U.S.They have more than 8 billion square meters of windows. Even if only a part of that glass could collect power from the sun, it could greatly lower the need for polluting fossil fuels.
通过2012年的一项调查可知，美国有560万商业大厦。其窗子面积达到80亿平方米。即使只有一小部分玻璃能够捕捉太阳能，也能极大的降低对污染性化石燃料的需求。

I’m Anne Ball.
Anne Ball为您报道。