太阳能：能源的未来

太阳能是我们拥有的最丰富的天然能源之一。每天，太阳升起，将阳光照射在我们身上，为我们提供热量和电力。

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.

我们拥有的最丰富的天然能源之一是太阳能。每天，太阳升起，将阳光照射在我们身上，为我们提供热量和电力。

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.

鉴于地球上的大多数地区都在一定程度上获得了阳光，即使是偏远、偏远和农村地区也可以利用这种能源。甚至不需要大量这种取之不尽、用之不竭的能源；不到10%的太阳能就足以帮助我们满足全球能源需求。

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

作为一种可再生能源，它不会产生任何有害的温室气体排放，同时非常适合电网和电池。

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.

阳光的利用并不是什么新鲜事。早在公元前 7 世纪，人类就开始利用阳光将阳光反射到闪亮的物体上来生火。

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

然而，技术进步使得捕获阳光发电并将其存储以供以后使用变得非常高效。

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).

太阳能技术捕获电磁辐射，即太阳发出的光，并将其转化为有用的能量形式。太阳能技术的两种主要类型是用于太阳能电池板的光伏发电 (PV) 和聚光太阳能热发电 (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.

太阳能电池板是目前最流行的太阳能发电方式。光伏电池板的使用寿命为 20-25 年，安装后除了定期清洁外，只需很少的维护。

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.

通常由硅等半导体材料制成，当该材料暴露于阳光光子时，会释放电子并产生电荷。这种电荷会产生电流，该电流被太阳能电池板捕获，然后逆变器将其转换为交流电 (AC)，用于为您的设备供电。

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) 效应实际上是在几十年前的 1839 年被发现的，当时法国物理学家埃德蒙·贝克勒尔 (Edmond Becquerel) 在导电溶液中对由金属电极制成的电池进行实验，发现该电池在受到光照时会产生更多的电力。

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，随着硅光伏电池的发展，光伏技术诞生了，它可以吸收太阳能并将其转化为电力来运行日常电气设备。

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，太阳能系统不仅融入家庭和企业，而且已成为提供电力的重要可再生能源组合。

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.

太阳能实际上有潜力显着减少电力，通过与存储配对产生备用电力，有助于形成有弹性的电网，以相似的效率在小规模和大规模上运行，并创造就业机会并刺激经济增长。

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.

同时，在成本方面，除了明显的硬件成本外，还有诸如许可、融资、安装太阳能等软成本，以及此类公司的其他运营费用，这些都会影响太阳能的价格。

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.

虽然太阳能具有巨大的好处，但间歇性方面仍然存在挑战。毕竟，可用的阳光量会因时间、地点和季节而异。

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，光伏发电主要在中午太阳最亮的时候产生能量。虽然更高效、更可靠的存储系统使我们能够全天使用这种能源，即使在太阳落山或多云的情况下，研究人员甚至正在寻找更好的替代方案。

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，新南威尔士大学 (UNSW) 的研究人员就在这一领域取得了重大突破，使他们即使在夜间也能利用太阳能发电。这项技术现在正被带入太空。

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，两年前的五月，新南威尔士大学的一个团队通过夜间太阳能发电，在可再生能源技术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.

光伏与可再生能源工程学院 (SPREE) 的研究人员团队利用地球发出的红外光 (IL) 形式的热量来发电，就像夜间通过辐射到太空来降温一样。

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).

为此，该团队创建了一种称为热辐射二极管的半导体器件。二极管是一种半导体器件，允许电流沿一个方向流动，同时限制电流沿另一个方向流动。它们将交流电 (AC) 转换为脉动直流电 (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.

同时，热辐射二极管 (TRD) 通过发射 IL 来发电。它可以从任何温暖的表面发电，因此具有在夜间提供太阳能的能力。该团队的热辐射二极管由夜视镜 (NV) 护目镜中使用的材料制成，以便利用发射的红外光发电。

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:

至于发电量，却很小，只有太阳能电池板发电量的十万倍。尽管如此，研究人员相信这一结果在未来可能会得到改善。团队负责人 Ned Ekins-Daukes 副教授表示：

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

“我们已经明确地演示了热辐射二极管的电力。”

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

他解释了如何通过使用热像仪我们可以看到夜间的辐射量。然而，