太陽能：能源的未來

太陽能是我們擁有的最豐富的天然能源之一。每天，太陽升起，將陽光照射在我們身上，為我們提供熱能和電力。

One of the most abundant and natural sources of energy that we have is solar power. Every day, the sun rises and shines its light on us, offering us heat and electricity.

我們擁有的最豐富的天然能源之一是太陽能。每天，太陽升起，將陽光照射在我們身上，為我們提供熱能和電力。

Even isolated, remote, and rural areas can take advantage of this energy source, given that most areas on this planet get sunlight to some extent. There isn't even a need for a lot of this inexhaustible source of energy; less than 10% of solar energy is enough to help us meet global energy demands.

鑑於地球上的大多數地區都在一定程度上獲得了陽光，即使是偏遠、偏遠和農村地區也可以利用這種能源。甚至不需要大量這種取之不盡、用之不竭的能源；不到10%的太陽能就足以幫助我們滿足全球能源需求。

As a renewable energy source, it does not create any harmful greenhouse gas emissions while being well-suited to the electricity grid and batteries.

作為一種再生能源，它不會產生任何有害的溫室氣體排放，同時非常適合電網和電池。

The usage of sunlight isn't entirely new. Humans were using sunlight as early as the 7th century BC to light fires by reflecting the rays of the sun onto shiny objects.

陽光的利用並不是什麼新鮮事。早在公元前 7 世紀，人類就開始利用陽光將陽光反射到閃亮的物體上來生火。

However, technological advancements have made capturing sunlight to generate electricity and then storing it for later use highly efficient.

然而，技術進步使得捕捉陽光發電並將其儲存以供以後使用變得非常有效率。

Solar technologies capture electromagnetic radiation, which is the light emitted by the sun, and turn it into useful forms of energy. Two main types of solar energy technologies are photovoltaics (PV), utilized in solar panels, and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP).

太陽能技術捕捉電磁輻射，即太陽發出的光，並將其轉化為有用的能量形式。太陽能技術的兩種主要類型是用於太陽能板的光伏發電 (PV) 和聚光太陽能熱發電 (CSP)。

Solar panels are currently the most popular means of producing electricity from solar energy. The PV panels have a useful lifespan of 20-25 years, and minimal maintenance is required once they have been installed, apart from some periodic cleaning.

太陽能板是目前最受歡迎的太陽能發電方式。光伏板的使用壽命為 20-25 年，安裝後除了定期清潔外，只需很少的維護。

Usually made from a semiconductor material like silicon, when the material is exposed to photons of sunlight, it releases electrons and produces an electric charge. This charge generates an electric current, which is seized by solar panels and then an inverter converts it to alternating current (AC), which is used to power your devices.

通常由矽等半導體材料製成，當材料暴露於陽光光子時，會釋放電子並產生電荷。這種電荷會產生電流，該電流被太陽能電池板捕獲，然後逆變器將其轉換為交流電 (AC)，用於為您的設備供電。

The photovoltaic (PV) effect was actually discovered decades ago in 1839 when French physicist Edmond Becquerel was experimenting with a cell made of metal electrodes in a conducting solution and found the cell to be generating more electricity when exposed to light.

光伏(PV) 效應實際上是在幾十年前的1839 年被發現的，當時法國物理學家埃德蒙·貝克勒爾(Edmond Becquerel) 在導電溶液中對由金屬電極製成的電池進行實驗，發現該電池在受到光照時會產生更多的電力。

Then, in 1954, PV technology was born with the development of the silicon PV cell, which could absorb and convert the sun's energy into power to run everyday electrical equipment.

1954年，隨著矽光伏電池的發展，光伏技術誕生了，它可以吸收太陽能並將其轉化為電力來運行日常電氣設備。

Today, solar energy systems are integrated into not just homes and businesses but have become an important mix of renewable energy sources to provide power supply.

如今，太陽能係統不僅融入家庭和企業，而且已成為提供電力的重要再生能源組合。

Solar energy actually has the potential to significantly reduce electricity, generate backup power by pairing it with storage, contribute to a resilient electrical grid, operate on both small and large scales at similar efficiency, and create jobs and spur economic growth.

太陽能實際上有潛力顯著減少電力，透過與儲存配對產生備用電力，有助於形成有彈性的電網，以相似的效率在小規模和大規模上運行，並創造就業機會並刺激經濟成長。

Meanwhile, in terms of cost, besides the obvious hardware costs, there are also soft costs such as permitting, financing, and installing solar, along with other operational expenses of such companies, which affect the price of solar energy.

同時，在成本方面，除了明顯的硬體成本外，還有諸如許可、融資、安裝太陽能等軟成本，以及此類公司的其他營運費用，這些都會影響太陽能的價格。

While solar energy has tremendous benefits, the challenge remains in terms of intermittency. The amount of sunlight available, after all, varies by time, location, and season.

雖然太陽能具有巨大的好處，但間歇性方面仍存在挑戰。畢竟，可用的陽光量會因時間、地點和季節而異。

For instance, photovoltaics generate energy primarily in the middle of the day when the sun is the brightest. While more efficient and reliable storage systems have allowed us to use this energy source throughout the day, even when the sun has set or it's cloudy, researchers are even looking at better alternatives.

例如，光伏發電主要在中午太陽最亮的時候產生能量。雖然更有效率、更可靠的儲存系統使我們能夠全天使用這種能源，即使在太陽落山或多雲的情況下，研究人員甚至正在尋找更好的替代方案。

Back in 2022, researchers from The University of New South Wales (UNSW), made a major breakthrough in this sphere, which allowed them to produce electricity from solar power even during the night-time. This tech is now being taken to space.

早在 2022 年，新南威爾斯大學 (UNSW) 的研究人員就在這一領域取得了重大突破，使他們即使在夜間也能利用太陽能發電。這項技術現在正被帶入太空。

So, two years ago, in May, a UNSW team made this major breakthrough in renewable energy technology by producing electricity from solar power at night.

因此，兩年前的五月，新南威爾斯大學的一個團隊透過夜間太陽能發電，在再生能源技術方面取得了重大突破。

The team of researchers from the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) produced electricity from heat emitted by Earth as infrared light (IL), much like it cools at night by radiating into space.

光伏與再生能源工程學院 (SPREE) 的研究人員團隊利用地球發出的紅外光 (IL) 形式的熱量來發電，就像夜間透過輻射到太空來降溫一樣。

For this, the team created a semiconductor device called a thermoradiative diode. A diode is a semiconductor device that allows current to flow in one direction while restricting it in the other. They convert alternating current (AC) into pulsating direct current (DC).

為此，該團隊創建了一種稱為熱輻射二極體的半導體裝置。二極體是一種半導體裝置，允許電流沿著一個方向流動，同時限制電流沿著另一個方向流動。它們將交流電 (AC) 轉換為脈動直流電 (DC)。

A thermoradiative diode (TRD) meanwhile produces electricity by emitting IL. It can generate power from any warm surface and hence, carries the ability to provide solar power at night. The thermoradiative diode by the team was made up of materials used in night-vision (NV) goggles in order to generate electricity from the emitted infrared light.

同時，熱輻射二極體 (TRD) 會透過發射 IL 來發電。它可以從任何溫暖的表面發電，因此具有在夜間提供太陽能的能力。該團隊的熱輻射二極體由夜視鏡 (NV) 護目鏡中使用的材料製成，以便利用發射的紅外線光發電。

As for the power capacity, it was very small, at 100,000 times less than what is supplied by a solar panel. Despite that, the researchers believed that the result could be improved in the future. According to team lead Associate Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes:

至於發電量，卻很小，只有太陽能板發電量的十萬倍。儘管如此，研究人員相信這一結果在未來可能會得到改善。團隊負責人 Ned Ekins-Daukes 副教授表示：

“We have made an unambiguous demonstration of electrical power from a thermoradiative diode.”

“我們已經明確地演示了熱輻射二極體的電力。”

He explained how by using thermal imaging cameras we can see the amount of radiation at night. However,

他解釋瞭如何透過使用熱像儀我們可以看到夜間的輻射量。然而，