正文翻譯
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.ltaaa.com 翻譯：chinawungbo2 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處
Sun on the rails

鐵路上的陽光

Solar-powered trains could make rail transport greener

太陽能火車能使鐵路運(yùn)輸更加環(huán)保

Solar panels are connected directly to the line

太陽能電池板與鐵路直接相連

Commuters may not have paid them much attention, but a small array of solar panels next to the railway line at Aldershot, a town 50km (30 miles) south-west of London, could herald a greener future for train travel. The site is an experiment to supply electricity generated from sunlight directly to a railway line. It is the “directly” bit that is novel. In Britain, as in many places, solar power is already fed into the grid, and it is the grid which train operators plug into. So, in a sense, many electric trains already use some solar power. But by connecting the panels to the line itself, trains can be powered more efficiently.

在倫敦西南50公里的艾迪索特鎮(zhèn)，通勤族可能沒太注意鐵路旁的一小排太陽能電池板，它們可以使未來的火車旅行更加環(huán)保。該地區(qū)試驗(yàn)將太陽能電力直供給鐵路，它的新奇之處就在于“直供”。與許多國家一樣，太陽能已經(jīng)饋入英國電網(wǎng)，火車司機(jī)連接的正是該電網(wǎng)。所以在某種意義上，許多電力火車已經(jīng)用上一部分太陽能。但如果將太陽能電池板與鐵路本身連接，火車的供電效率將得到提升。

Admittedly, it is not at present a lot of power. At around 37 kilowatts the site could easily top up the battery of a Tesla electric car, but it might not move an electric train very far. That does not matter at this stage, because it is there to test a concept rather than run a railway. And the concept is working, says Stuart Kistruck, director of engineering for the southern region of Network Rail, the government-owned operator of railway infrastructure in Britain.

不可否認(rèn)，目前電力還不充足。在大約37千瓦的功率下，該地能輕而易舉地為“特斯拉”電動(dòng)汽車充滿電，但電力火車可能無法行駛很遠(yuǎn)。這沒有關(guān)系，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)階段是概念性試驗(yàn)而非鐵路運(yùn)營。這一概念是可行的，英國國有鐵路基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施運(yùn)營商“鐵路網(wǎng)公司”的南方工程總監(jiān)斯圖爾特·基斯特朗說道。

Plug’n’play
One problem facing groups like Riding Sunbeams is that electricity grids are rarely designed to accept power from small and varied sources, so feed-in arrangements can be hard to set up. A passing railway line, however, provides an alternative, says Leo Murray, the company’s director. Along with Network Rail, Riding Sunbeams has drawn up a list of other sites that might be suitable for larger installations.

像Riding Sunbeams這樣的企業(yè)面臨一個(gè)難題，電網(wǎng)很少被設(shè)計(jì)成接受小型和不同來源的供電，所以很難布置饋入裝置。但接觸軌提供了新的方案，公司負(fù)責(zé)人里奧·默里說道。該公司與鐵路網(wǎng)公司擬定了一份適用于安裝更大裝置的地區(qū)名單。

Apart from green pr, what does Network Rail get out of this? First, there is a lot of unused land next to railway lines, where solar panels could be placed. Those panels would also shade vegetation, reducing its growth and the amount of cutting-back required. The “l(fā)eaves on the line” excuse for late-running trains is a bit of a joke in Britain, but the slippery conditions leaves cause for train wheels are a big problem.

除了綠色公關(guān)，鐵路網(wǎng)公司還能從中得到什么？首先，鐵路兩旁有許多閑置土地，可供太陽能電池板的安裝。電池板會(huì)給植被遮擋陽光，減緩其生長，減少必要的修剪。將“鐵軌上有樹葉”當(dāng)作火車晚點(diǎn)的借口多少成了英國的笑料，但火車車輪因樹葉打滑的現(xiàn)象是個(gè)大問題。

The limited space available for solar panels on train roofs means that not enough power could be produced to propel an entire train. However, the Byron Bay Train, a heritage railway near Brisbane, Australia, comes close. It is a two-car unit that runs entirely on energy from solar panels on its roof and on the roof of its shed. The converted train, originally dating from 1949, can carry 96 passengers on a route just 3km long—but in a part of the world blessed with plenty of sunshine. London’s commuters have no such luck.

火車廂頂蓋安裝太陽能電池板的空間有限，這意味著發(fā)電量不足以驅(qū)動(dòng)整列火車。然而，位于澳大利亞布利斯班附近的史跡鐵路“拜倫灣火車”接近這一目標(biāo)。這輛火車由兩節(jié)車廂組成，完全依靠火車頂蓋和停車棚上的太陽能電池板產(chǎn)生的電量運(yùn)行。這輛經(jīng)過改造的火車始建于1949年，載客量96人，全程線路僅3公里——但澳大利亞是一個(gè)陽光充沛的國家，倫敦的通勤族可沒這樣的好運(yùn)氣。