五大妙招巧獲清潔能源

譯/游瓊瓊 審訂/鄢宏福

五大妙招巧獲清潔能源

譯/游瓊瓊 審訂/鄢宏福

5 Sneaky Ways to Harness Clean Energy

By now， we’re all familiar with the mainstays of renewable energy. They’re the solar panel arrays and massive turbine systems that span great lengths， collecting energy from the sun， wind and water and churning out megawatts of energy. It’s these behemoths that we point to as bellwethers of a future where the world no longer depends on fossil fuels.

[2] But recently， some researchers have started to tinker with more subtle ways to harvest energy. They’re mostly unconventional ideas， such as layering tiny and transparent solar cells onto a phone’s touchscreen or a sound conversion technology that allows it to recharge simply by talking into it.

[3] Though these out-of-box approaches1out-of-box approach創(chuàng)造性方法。don’t receive nearly as much attention as some of the more elaborate industrial-scale projects， they may well turn out to be game-changers2game-changer改變游戲規(guī)則的人，即創(chuàng)新的人。in their own right. As such， here are instances where eeking out even a modest amount of energy may make a real difference:

1. Infrastructure power

[4] Hydroelectric power came about as a way to take advantage of the enormous fl ow of energy produced from reservoirs. However， the same principle can also work wherever there’s a strong and steady stream of water， whether it be dams or sewage pipes.

[5] Catching on to this fact， the city of Portland is testing a power-generating water turbine system specially suited for municipal drainage systems.The technology， developed by local start-up LucidEnergy， is projected to contribute up to 1，100 megawatts of electricity annually， enough to power approximately 150 homes.

[6] Roadways are also hotspots for untapped energy. In 2011， a research team were able to harvest energy from the vibrations produced by moving cars by coating a section of the road surface along a Dutch highway with energyabsorbing piezoelectric materials.During the course of three months， they found that， on average， net electrical output was suf fi cient to run the motion sensors on a traf fi c light.

2. Ambient energy

[7] To ensure coverage over a given area， WiFi hubs blast signals in all directions. Satellite transmission is somewhat similar， scattering signals across a wide region. As a result， a lot of energy is wasted.

[8] But there are ways to recover some of these lost signals. Researchers at Duke University have converted them into electricity. Employing a special microwave-scavenging metamaterial，they were able to build a device capable of generating up to 7.3 volts. The goal is to eventually incorporate the technology into cell phones， which in many instances can use a little extra juice.

[9] While the idea has been kicked around for some time， the challenge has been fi guring out how to implement it on a consumer level. RCA3Radio Corporation of America的簡稱，美國無線電公司。， an electronics brand， caused a bit of stir back in 2010， when representatives unveiled an early prototype of a USB dongle they claimed can give laptops a power boost by trapping stray WiFi signals and storing them as converted energy in an internal battery. However，the Airnergy charger4Airnergy charger無線信號充電器。was never released.

3. Body energy

[10] Every person is， in some respect，a walking power plant. Even at rest， the human body generates as much energy as a 100 watt light bulb. Much of this dissipates in the form of heat， though a coat with good insulation properties can momentarily trap enough of it for us to stay comfortably warm at times when temperatures are unbearably cold.

[11] With that line of thinking，Jernhusen， a Swedish real estate firm，had an ambitious proposal. In 2008， the group outlined a plan to construct an office building in Stockholm equipped with a unique heating system that so happened to be powered by the excess body heat of 250，000 some commuters that pass though the nearby central train station each day.

[12] The system， in operation today，is made possible through a series of heat exchangers situated inside the train station’s ventilation system. This is where body heat is converted into hot water and piped in to warm the building. In total， costs are reduced by about 25 percent compared to regular heating systems. And closer to home，the Mall of America in Minneapolis recycles body heat from shoppers to more better regulate the indoor climate.

[13] On a smaller scale， scientists are looking into ways to make good use of energy generated by the body’s internal machinations. Engineers in the United States and China have collaborated on a technology that uses the mechanical energy of a beating heart to pump power to pacemakers. In Boston， a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing a tiny chip that pulls in energy from natural processes that take place within the ear canal as a way to extend the long-term implantation of hearing aids.

4. Kinetic energy

[14] In motion， the human body ramps up to where it’s a sort of de facto energy factory. Case-in-point is the Cadbury House gym near Bristol，England， the first in the world to be powered by nothing but the grunt and sweat of members who frequent the exercise facility.

[15] Power is supplied by a network of treadmills， stationary bikes and step climbers custom-made and sold by Technogym5泰諾健，意大利健身器材廠家。， a manufacturer of hightech training equipment. When in operation， each machine powers itself and channels surplus energy in the form of electricity. The costs for the equipment come in at about 600，000 euros ($630，000). Similar human- powered gyms can be found in Hong Kong and in the United States.

[16] Systems designed to harvest kinetic energy can also supplement power systems anywhere people take part in activities that collectively add up to lots of high-intensity workouts. In 2007， a pair of MIT students proposed using these “crowd farms” as a way to extract energy for such things as LED lights. More recently， the concept popped up as an “eco-nightclub” in London where energy is amassed using blocks made of piezoelectric material，positioned just beneath the dance fl oor.

5. Self-powered energy (for gadgets)

[17] While you would be hard pressed to find anyone who isn’t pining for a bit more battery life for their mobile devices， keeping pace with the rigorous demands of day-to-day commuting is a whole different story. The “range anxiety6range anxiety里程焦慮，意思是駕駛電動(dòng)汽車時(shí)因擔(dān)心突然沒電引起的精神痛苦或憂慮?！?consumers have over a vehicle’s typical per-charge rating is often mentioned as one of their most pressing concerns.

[18] And it’s a problem the industry seems to be looking at from every conceivable angle. For instance， earlier this month， Goodyear unveiled the BH03 concept tire， which feature a combination of piezoelectric materials and black textured thermoelectric patches to absorb energy from vibrations， light and heat. This in turn can be fed to the battery or sensors. But drivers shouldn’t hold their breath since the company hasn’t detailed how they plan to turn the proof-of-concept into a reality or released any cost estimates.

[19] For those getting around on foot，Pittsburgh-based startup SolePower is in the later stages of finalizing a shoe insert that charges up an external battery as the wearer walks or runs.But unlike other technologies that harvest energy from pressure-induced vibrations， the insoles don’t employ piezoelectric materials. Instead， energy is produced， converted and stored through a series of tiny “mechanical linkages and generators” in the heel，similar to how hand-cranked fl ashlights work， according to the company’s Web site.

With the insoles， the company claims that an hour of walk time provides about 2.5 hours of talk time on a smartphone. ■

時(shí)至今日，我們對主要的可再生能源已經(jīng)耳熟能詳——即密布的太陽能電池陣列和綿延的龐大渦輪系統(tǒng)，將太陽能、風(fēng)能及水能轉(zhuǎn)化為數(shù)兆瓦的電能。當(dāng)化石燃料在未來的世界里退出歷史舞臺，這些龐然大物將引領(lǐng)能源的發(fā)展潮流。

[2]但最近一些研究人員開始搗鼓更加微妙的方法來生產(chǎn)能源。這些方法大多不循常規(guī)，例如，在手機(jī)觸摸屏上設(shè)置微小透明的太陽能電池，或是利用聲音轉(zhuǎn)換技術(shù)、只需對手機(jī)說話便可為手機(jī)充電。

[3]這些天馬行空的方法雖不像一些業(yè)已形成產(chǎn)業(yè)規(guī)模的項(xiàng)目一樣引人矚目，卻可能憑借其自身的優(yōu)勢在未來領(lǐng)跑能源領(lǐng)域。因此，盡管以下方法產(chǎn)出的能量微乎其微，卻可能帶來真正意義上的改變。

1.基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施發(fā)電

[4]水力發(fā)電利用的是水庫巨大水流產(chǎn)生的能量。這一原理同樣適用于流速強(qiáng)勁穩(wěn)定的水體，包括堤壩及污水管。

[5]基于這一認(rèn)識，美國波特蘭市正在測試一套適用于城市排水管網(wǎng)的渦輪發(fā)電系統(tǒng)。該技術(shù)由當(dāng)?shù)匾患倚鹿爵斘鞯履茉垂鹃_發(fā)，計(jì)劃每年提供1100兆瓦的電力，可供約150戶家庭使用。

[6]公路也是獲取未開發(fā)能源的熱點(diǎn)。2011年，一個(gè)研究小組在荷蘭一條公路的部分路段鋪設(shè)壓電材料，從行經(jīng)車輛產(chǎn)生的震動(dòng)中獲取能源。經(jīng)過三個(gè)月的研究，該團(tuán)隊(duì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，電力凈輸出足以維持交通信號燈的運(yùn)動(dòng)傳感器正常運(yùn)作。

2.環(huán)境能源

[7]為覆蓋某一特定領(lǐng)域，無線路由器向各個(gè)方向發(fā)射信號。衛(wèi)星傳輸信號的方式與此類似，即在大范圍內(nèi)散播信號。這種傳播方式伴隨大量的能量損耗。

[8]不過，部分損失信號能夠加以回收。杜克大學(xué)的研究人員已經(jīng)成功將其轉(zhuǎn)化為電能。研究人員借助一種特殊的微波凈化超材料，制作出一種最高可產(chǎn)生7.3伏電壓的裝置。這項(xiàng)研究的最終目標(biāo)是將該技術(shù)應(yīng)用在手機(jī)上，在很多情況下，可以使手機(jī)獲得一些補(bǔ)充電能。

[9]盡管對這種設(shè)想的討論已經(jīng)持續(xù)了一段時(shí)間，但是如何將其應(yīng)用于產(chǎn)品之中仍然是一項(xiàng)挑戰(zhàn)。美國無線電公司（RCA）曾因2010年發(fā)布了一款USB軟件狗的早期原型而轟動(dòng)一時(shí)。據(jù)該公司稱，這款軟件狗能夠捕捉游離的無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)信號，將其轉(zhuǎn)化成能量儲存在筆記本電腦內(nèi)置電池中。不過，無線信號充電器一直未能問世。

3.人體能源

[10]從某種程度上說，每個(gè)人都是一座移動(dòng)的發(fā)電站。即使休息的時(shí)候，人體產(chǎn)生的能量猶相當(dāng)于一盞100瓦燈泡的能量。這些能量大部分以熱量的形式散失，不過絕熱性能良好的外套能暫時(shí)保存足夠的熱量，讓我們在極度寒冷的環(huán)境中保持舒適的溫度。

[11]順著這個(gè)思路，瑞典房地產(chǎn)公司杰恩胡森推出了一項(xiàng)雄心勃勃的計(jì)劃。2008年，該公司計(jì)劃在斯德哥爾摩建造一幢裝有特殊供熱系統(tǒng)的辦公大樓。這座辦公大樓的供熱源是每天通過附近中心火車站的25萬名通勤者身體所散發(fā)的熱量。

[12]這套系統(tǒng)現(xiàn)已投入使用，其關(guān)鍵是位于火車站通風(fēng)系統(tǒng)內(nèi)的一系列熱轉(zhuǎn)換器。轉(zhuǎn)換器將體熱轉(zhuǎn)化成熱能給水加熱，再利用熱水管網(wǎng)為整棟建筑供暖?？偟膩碚f，相比普通供熱系統(tǒng)，該系統(tǒng)成本降低了約25%。再來看看我們的身邊，美國明尼阿波利斯市的美國摩爾購物中心利用商場內(nèi)顧客產(chǎn)生的熱量，有效調(diào)節(jié)室內(nèi)溫度。

[13]科學(xué)家們已經(jīng)開始在更細(xì)微的層面尋找方法，有效利用身體內(nèi)部機(jī)制產(chǎn)生的能量。美國和中國的工程師已經(jīng)在合作開發(fā)有關(guān)技術(shù)，利用心臟跳動(dòng)產(chǎn)生的機(jī)械能為起搏器提供能量。波士頓麻省理工學(xué)院的研究團(tuán)隊(duì)正在研發(fā)一種微型芯片，通過攝取耳道里自然產(chǎn)生的能量，延長植入式助聽器的使用壽命。

4.運(yùn)動(dòng)能源

[14]人體在運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)，會(huì)變成一座名副其實(shí)的能源工廠。英格蘭布里斯托爾附近的吉布里之家健身館就是一例。該館的電力全部來自光顧健身設(shè)施的會(huì)員的喘息和汗水，這在全世界首開先例。

[15]該健身館的電力供應(yīng)來自在高科技運(yùn)動(dòng)器械制造商泰諾健定制的運(yùn)動(dòng)器械系統(tǒng)，包括跑步機(jī)、固定單車及登山機(jī)等。系統(tǒng)運(yùn)作時(shí)，每個(gè)單一器械實(shí)現(xiàn)自我驅(qū)動(dòng)的同時(shí)還可將剩余能量以電能形式輸出。設(shè)備的成本約為60萬歐元（63萬美元）。美國和香港也有類似的人力供電健身館。

[16]用來收集動(dòng)能的系統(tǒng)也可以用作電力系統(tǒng)的補(bǔ)充。

不管人們在哪里活動(dòng)，只要產(chǎn)生高強(qiáng)度的運(yùn)動(dòng)就行。2007年，麻省理工學(xué)院的兩名學(xué)生建議利用這類“人群農(nóng)場”為LED燈等采集能源。最近，倫敦出現(xiàn)“生態(tài)夜吧”這一概念，即在舞廳地板下鋪設(shè)成塊壓電材料用以收集能量。

5.自供電能（小型裝置）

[17]盡管沒有人不希望自己的移動(dòng)設(shè)備電池壽命更久，但要滿足日常通勤的嚴(yán)格要求則完全是另一回事。消費(fèi)者對交通工具的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)平均充電頻率的“里程焦慮”常被視為最緊迫的問題之一。

[18]企業(yè)似乎在想盡一切辦法解決這一問題。例如，這個(gè)月初，美國固特異輪胎公司發(fā)布了一款BH03概念輪胎，這種輪胎主體由壓電材料和有黑色織紋的熱電材料構(gòu)成，能夠吸收振動(dòng)、光、熱產(chǎn)生的能量，進(jìn)而將能量輸送到電池或傳感器中。然而，司機(jī)們沒必要焦急企盼，因?yàn)樵摴旧形垂紝⒋烁拍町a(chǎn)品化成現(xiàn)實(shí)的具體計(jì)劃，也沒有公布任何成本預(yù)算。

[19]也有些公司致力于在腳上“做文章”。位于匹茲堡的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司索萊電力的一款鞋墊產(chǎn)品研發(fā)已進(jìn)入后期階段。該產(chǎn)品可以把走路或者跑步時(shí)產(chǎn)生的能量轉(zhuǎn)化為電能，儲存到外部的蓄電池上。與其他技術(shù)從壓力產(chǎn)生的振動(dòng)搜集能量不同，這款鞋墊并未采用壓電材料。從該公司網(wǎng)站上我們可以得知，電能的產(chǎn)生、轉(zhuǎn)換和儲存均是通過鞋跟內(nèi)一系列微小的機(jī)械裝置及發(fā)電機(jī)完成，原理類似于手搖式手電筒。

該公司宣稱，穿上這種鞋墊走路一小時(shí)，可供智能手機(jī)通話2.5小時(shí)。 □