Imagine a world powered not by coal, oil, or natural gas but by the Sun.
想像一下 如果有一個世界不是靠煤 石油 天然氣 而是太陽能驅動的
Sounds like a fairy tale right?
是不是聽著像天方夜譚
Well it's actually not that far from becoming a reality, you know.
但其實吧 這事兒也並不是那麼地遙遠了
But it's also not as simple as it seems.
但也絕非易事
Solar panels are one of the driving forces of modern sustainable energy.
太陽能電池板是現代可持續能源的驅動力之一
I mean, when you think about it.
其實仔細想想
即太陽（太陽本體並不是氣體）
That big ball of burning gas is the ultimate generator,
那團巨大的燃燒氣體簡直就是終極發電機
plus most of the planet enjoys its light every single day at no cost whatsoever.
多數行星每天都享受著它的光和熱 而且還是免費的
Solar panels transform the Sun's mighty light into electricity that we can use.
太陽能電池板將太陽的強光轉化為我們可以使用的電能
We already have this technology, I'm not talking sci-fi here.
我們已經擁有這項技術了 我不是在說科幻小說
So why don't we put these things up everywhere,
那為啥我們不把這些電池板到處掛著
cut our dependence on sources of energy that pollute our planet, and go totally renewable?
減少對那些會汙染地球的能源的依賴 徹底實現能源再生呢
Again it's complicated.
因為事情沒有想像得那麼簡單
First of all, solar panels require space.
首先 安裝太陽能電池板需要不少空間
Sure they're not gigantic constructions.
雖然它們也談不上巨大無比
即長165.1釐米 寬99.06釐米
A single home utility panel measures on average about 65 by 39 inches.
一個家用的電池板平均尺寸大概是長65英寸 寬39英寸
But one of those panels is just about enough to light a few lightbulbs.
但一塊這種尺寸的只夠給幾個燈泡發電
That means to power a whole house you'll need more panels.
這就意味著 給整個房子發電需要更多塊
Actually anywhere from ten to fifty or even more in some cases.
大概在10塊到50塊之間 有的房子可能要更多
Now just imagine putting up so many 15 square foot plates
想像一下 如果單單給一個家庭發電就需要
for the sake of powering a single home.
鋪上很多15平方英尺一塊的電池板
And how many will it take to power a whole city or a whole country,
那如果是要給一整個城市 或是一整個國家 甚至是全世界
or the whole world for that matter?
發電的話會需要多少塊電池板呢
Secondly solar panels can't be installed just anywhere.
其次 太陽能電池板並不是安裝在任何地方都可以的
Since they collect sunlight they need a place where there's a lot of it every day.
太陽能電池板吸收陽光 所以需要在每天都陽光充足的地方
That's why some regions of the world just aren't suitable for these things.
這就是為什麼有些地方是不合適安裝太陽能電池板的
And that doesn't only include sub Arctic regions with their long cold polar nights.
並不只是擁有漫長寒冷極夜的亞北極地區才不適合而已
Sunlight is best served pure and clear to get the maximum efficiency from solar panels.
只有吸收的陽光是純淨的 太陽能電池板才能最大限度發揮作用
If a region's climate is mostly cloudy then they won't be able to produce
如果某個地方的天氣總是陰沉沉的 那麼電池板在那裡
as much energy as they could in Sun conditions.
能發揮的作用是沒有在晴朗地區的大的
So this brings certain limitations on where you can install these panels.
這就導致了只有特定的地方才適合安裝這種電池板
Bummer, huh?
真掃興 對吧
And last but not least is the cost of installation.
最後還有一個很重要的原因 那就是安裝的費用
Of course the whole point of installing solar panels now is to cut cost down the road,
當然 現在安裝太陽能電池板也是為了以後的經濟著想
as well as help the environment of course.
還有保護環境
But the original expenses are sky-high.
但它的費用簡直貴破天際
To build and install enough panels to power a decent-sized city,
給一個像樣的城市生產安裝足夠的電池板
you'll need hundreds of millions of dollars.
需要上億美元
Not many governments or corporations would be
沒有多少政府和企業願意一口氣
happy to fork over so much dough in one go.
花上這麼一大筆錢
So if a quest for renewable energy for everyone will ever be completed.
如果真的有一天能實現所有人的能源再生的話
It will require the financial support of many countries and companies at once.
這將需要許多國家和公司同時提供資金支持
Yeah good luck getting everybody on the planet to cooperate.
算了吧 能讓全世界所有人一起合作才怪
Well what do we have?
那麼還能怎麼辦呢
Seems like we need a large enough open space where there's a lot of sunlight
我們似乎需要一個足夠大的開放空間 那裡每天都陽光充足
every single day with little or no clouds.
雲量極少 或是沒有
It also shouldn't be too far away from too many countries,
這個地方還不能距離各個國家太遠
because exporting the energy over long distances would make the project even more expensive.
因為如果需要長途運輸能量 那麼這項工程會更加昂貴
Hmmm...let's say, a huge scalding hot area, with as much Sun as you could ever need,
恩......這麼說吧 一個開闊巨大的灼熱地區 陽光充足
and located just across the sea from Europe.
位於歐洲的對岸
You thinking what I'm thinking?
你知道我在說哪裡了嗎
Right! The Sahara desert.
對 就是撒哈拉沙漠
The largest hot desert in the world seems like the perfect place to install as
如果想要安裝儘可能多太陽能電池板
many solar panels as humankind could need.
世界上最大的熱沙漠似乎是最佳場所
By the latest estimates in fact, it could accommodate more than four times
事實上 根據最新的估計 撒哈拉沙漠可以容納超過
as many panels as we actually need to meet our current demands.
我們目前需求量四倍的電池板
Let's break it down.
這麼算吧
In 2017 people all over the world used about eighteen terawatts of energy.
2017年 全世界的人大約使用了18太瓦的能源
The Sahara if covered completely in solar panels would generate seventy-nine terawatts per year.
如果撒哈拉沙漠完全被太陽能電池板覆蓋 每年將產生79太瓦的電力
That would cover everything we need plus some.
這就能滿足我們所有的需求 甚至還有多的
Basically it's not even necessary to install that many solar panels,
基本上來說甚至都不用安裝那麼多電池板
just a quarter would be more than enough.
四分之一就足夠了
As an added bonus, Dr Yan Li, a researcher from the University of Illinois,
還不止這樣 伊利諾伊大學的研究員李嚴博士說
explains that a large amount of these panels in the Sahara would benefit the desert climate too.
在沙漠安裝大量的電池板也能讓沙漠的氣候受益
Stay with me here, it gets a little complicated.
注意聽 下面的內容有點複雜
The color of the sand there is quite light.
沙漠的沙子顏色比較淺
So it reflects a lot of sunlight back into the atmosphere.
那麼就會將大部分的陽光都折射回大氣中
So dark-colored solar panels would make the surface take in more of the Sun.
而深色的太陽能電池板表面能吸收更多的陽光
Increasing the grounds temperature.
從而提高地面溫度
That in turn will lead to warmer air rising up.
反過來會導致更熱的空氣上升
Mixing with cooler air, condensing, and then coming back down as...
與溫度較低的空氣混合 冷凝 最終形成...
Any guesses? Rainfall! exactly.
猜得到嗎 形成雨啊 沒錯
Eventually the Sahara would turn from an arid desert
總有一天撒哈拉沙漠會從乾旱荒漠變成
into a savanna, or even a blooming garden.
熱帶草原 甚至是生機勃勃的花園
Whoa! The Sahara Botanical Garden. I like the sound of that.
哇哦！撒哈拉植物園 聽著就好棒
Or maybe The Sahara Rainforest? I don't know.
或者撒哈拉雨林？我也不知道
Leave me your own suggestions in the comments.
在評論裡告訴我們你的想法吧
So what's the deal?
那到底是為什麼
Why aren't we there yet?
這個美好藍圖還沒實現呢
Happily hauling solar panels to the desert.
樂呵呵地把太陽能電池板都拖到沙漠裡去
Well to start with, it only sounds like a perfect plan on paper.
首先 這個計劃其實是紙上談兵式的完美
When you get to actually carrying it out, that's when the real trouble begins.
真的要開始實施的時候 麻煩就來了
First and foremost, how would you transport all this energy across the world?
第一 要怎麼做才能把能源輸送到全世界呢
Okay the most logical thing to do is to get it to Africa itself in Europe.
最科學的方法是先把輸送到歐洲和非洲去
Since they're the closest to the source.
因為這兩個地方距離能量源頭最近
But there's still the issue of transporting solar energy across the sea,
但仍然存在著太陽能跨海運輸的問題
which would be no easy feat to say the least.
這可不是件容易事
No power lines wouldn't need to be built,
不需要建造輸電線
and brand-new infrastructure would have to be introduced.
但必須引進全新的基礎設施
And I don't know if you could transport this solar energy
能不能把太陽能從撒哈拉一路輸送到美國去
from the Sahara all the way to the America's.
這事兒就更不好說了
Sorry guys, anyway, add all that to the cost of installing the panels,
抱歉了朋友們 把這些費用和安裝的費用加起來
and you'd be looking at hundreds of billions of dollars in investment.
那這就是上千億美元投資的事兒了
Maybe European countries could handle such costs.
可能歐洲國家能負擔得起
But the same can't be said for a lot of African nations.
但非洲國家就很難說了
Solar energy could bring in immense benefits to them.
雖然太陽能會讓他們受益無窮
But a large majority just wouldn't be able to afford it.
但他們大部分人根本就負擔不起
Expenses aside though, there's also the question of working with local leaders.
且不說費用 跟當地的領導們合作也是個問題
You see, the Sahara belongs to several countries at once.
其實吧 撒哈拉沙漠是同時屬於好幾個國家的
So to build anything at all there you need permission from all of them.
所以無論建點什麼 都必要獲得所有領導人的許可
Of course you'd think everyone would see what good such a project brings,
你可能想當然就認為每個人都看得到這個工程會帶來的效益
so there shouldn't be any trouble negotiating.
那協商起來應該也不是什麼麻煩事吧
But nevertheless problems can arise when it comes to working with local authorities.
但一旦涉及到跟哪個地方的政府合作 就一定簡單不到哪裡去
Maybe an example will help make it clearer.
舉個例子你可能就明白了
For instance one country says:
比方說現在有一個國家跟你說：
"Sure you're allowed passage through my territory."
「可以啊 你可以通過我的領地」
You work together for several months when...
你跟他們合作了幾個月之後發現......
Let's say a different person takes over the country.
發現他們的國家領導人換了
As does happen.
這種事還真的會發生
Hopefully they continue working with you like their predecessor did.
希望他們能像他們的前任那樣繼續與你合作
But that's not guaranteed.
但這是打不了包票的
If they don't, you're once again thrown back to the negotiation stage.
如果他們不願意 那你就要重新談判了
And you can't go through the territories previously agreed upon.
先前協商好了的領土你也不能再通過
Naturally the supply chain is broken.
那麼供應鏈就會斷掉
And what's worse, you might not even reach a new agreement at all.
更糟的是 你甚至可能根本無法達成新的協議
Maybe this country has changed their mind about the whole project.
搞不好這個國家已經改變了他們對整個項目的看法
That of course would be a huge risk.
這樣的話風險就太大了
Especially assuming a bunch of money has already been put into this thing.
尤其是假設先前為了這個項目已經投入了一大筆資金了
雙關梗 這個節目就叫The Bright Side 與往好的方面想同義
But hey let's look at the bright side.
但是往好了想
Haha...Even if it seems impossible or super risky at the moment.
哈哈......雖然當下來看這件事還不太可能 充滿風險
Why can't we at least hope it'll happen someday?
但我們何不心懷希望祈禱這一天會到來呢
I mean, a greener Sahara and a greener world thanks to all this
一個由這些可再生能源帶來的綠色撒哈拉和綠色世界
renewable energy are definitely worth fighting for.
是絕對值得我們為之奮鬥的
Plus you never know, they might come up with a super innovative way
況且誰也說不好 搞不好他們哪天就發明了一種
to make this thing a reality, that you and I never even imagined.
你我想都沒有想過的超級創新方式把這件事變成了現實呢
So do you think it's high time we switched to solar energy,
你覺得我們是應該開始使用太陽能呢
or do you think the future lies in another source?
還是說你覺得人類的未來取決於其他的能源？
Let me know down in the comments.
在下方評論告訴我吧
Remember to give this video a like, share it with your friends.
記得要給我們點讚 並分享給你的朋友們哦
And click that subscribe button to stay on The Bright Side of Life.
關注我們 走上人生的康莊大道