经济学人:爱尔兰能源 泥炭向风能过渡(1)

 　　Europe 欧洲

　　Energy in Ireland: Bog¹ down, wind up 爱尔兰能源：停顿，关闭

　　Ireland is ditching peat for energy from wind. 爱尔兰正从泥炭能源转向风能。

　　Peat has a lot to recommend it. 这个岛国的目标是成为电力净出口国泥炭有很多可取的地方。

　　It imparts a delicious flavour to whiskey. 它散发着给威士忌般可口的味道。

　　It emits an agreeable aroma² when burned. 燃烧时发出宜人的香气。

　　It is a cheap source of energy; at its simplest it involves no more than digging by hand. 它是一种廉价的能源，从最简单的角度来说，它用手工挖掘足以。

　　Ireland, which has bogs³ full of the stuff, uses it for 6% of its energy. 爱尔兰的沼泽里富含泥炭原材料，泥炭能源的使用占其总能源的6%。

　　But peat is also one of the dirtiest fuels available, emitting 23% more carbon dioxide than coal. 但泥炭也是最脏的燃料，它比炭多排放23%的二氧化碳。

　　Ireland is unusual among developed countries in burning it for energy on an industrial scale. 在发达国家中，爱尔兰燃烧泥炭来获取工业能源的做法也是与众不同的。

　　A geological precursor⁴ to coal, it has been used on the island for at least 1,000 years. 煤炭，作为一种地质前体，它在爱尔兰岛上已经使用了至少1000年。

　　But it may at last be on its way out as Ireland turns to another energy source of which it has unlimited⁵ quantities: wind. 但是，随着爱尔兰转向使用另一种取之不尽的能源：风能，它可能最终会被淘汰。

　　Galway Wind Park, in the remote, soggy hills of Connemara facing the Atlantic Ocean,  在遥远的康内马拉面朝大西洋潮湿山脉的Galway Wind公园，

　　will be Ireland's largest wind farm when it is completed this summer, generating 169MW of power at peak capacity, or about 3% of Ireland's average needs. 将于今夏建成爱尔兰最大的风电场，发电最大容量为169MW，这大约是爱尔兰用电需要平均的3%。

　　Some turbines are already generating electricity. 一些涡轮机组已经开始发电。

　　It is only the latest development in Irish wind power, which has tripled in the last decade to more than 3GW of capacity. 这仅是爱尔兰风力发电的最新进展，是过去十年的3倍，发电容量超过3GW。

1 bog   

n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖

参考例句：

• We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
• The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

2 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

3 bogs   

n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• Whenever It'shows its true nature, real life bogs to a standstill. 无论何时，只要它显示出它的本来面目，真正的生活就陷入停滞。 来自名作英译部分
• At Jitra we went wading through bogs. 在日得拉我们步行着从泥水塘里穿过去。 来自辞典例句

4 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

5 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。