VOA标准英语2012--New York Draws on Sun's Energy

New York Draws on Sun's Energy

 

New York City has long been known as a place of grit¹ and grime.

But Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants the Big Apple to be known for its “green” values and its increasing reliance on clean forms of energy, such as solar power.

At a news conference last week, Bloomberg announced the installation of solar panels on ten city buildings as part of a pilot program. 

“There are solar panels on schools, firehouses, police precincts and other buildings," he said. "In clean tech, the New York City government, I think, is leading by example and we are also being joined by a growing number of private sector² companies.”

One of those companies is River 2 River Realty, which owns several luxury Manhattan properties. Company president Dan Neiditch took advantage of generous state and federal tax incentives³ and rebates⁴ to install rooftop solar panels on his 47-story luxury condominium complex in midtown Manhattan.

“We are one of the tallest buildings in the United States with solar on their rooftop," Neiditch says. "I believe it was over 50 percent of the project was rebated to us. Our electric bill we’ve already seen has decreased 20 percent from when we installed the units last year.

We love that, and we also like the fact that this is good for the environment. It’s saving the planet and it’s saving us money.”

The building’s solar panels have also drawn⁵ affluent⁶ customers who want to “live green.” 

“Some people are very adamant⁷ about living in a building such as ours, and there are very few out there right now," Neiditch says. "But I think over time, as the technology gets better, the trend will be more in that direction. And I think every building in Manhattan should put solar panels on their roof.”

Not all solar installations need to go on the roof. Carlos Berger of Voltaic Solaire, a small alternative energy company in the New York borough⁸ of Brooklyn, recently outfitted⁹ the facades¹⁰ of a building with so-called “thin film” solar cells, which are made with a silicon-based material that can be made completely transparent¹¹. 

“The light goes through it," Berger says, "but it also produces electricity.”

The trend toward solar is accelerating, says Jack¹² Hidary, co-founder of Samba Energy, a New York-based provider of software and clean energy services. 

According to Hidary, the data show that solar power installations in the United States have increased tenfold since 2009, and that the price keeps dropping as more efficient technology and installation techniques are developed. He notes that the solar cells his brother installed on his own home collect more energy than the family can use.

“The electric meter of that house in Brooklyn runs backwards¹³, because they are getting a credit for the extra electricity they are producing, which they sell back to the utility," Hidary says. "And thus that house has a zero-dollar utility bill for the year. I am very happy about this. This is something where people can save money, businesses can save money and they are doing the right thing in terms of lowering the pollution.”

Indeed, emissions¹⁴ from nearby coal-fired electric power plants can pose a significant health hazard. New Yorkers have far higher rates of asthma¹⁵ and other respiratory illnesses than the national average. Hidary believes the city’s move toward solar power can help. 

“By installing lots of solar we can start to reduce the amount of coal we burn and so we can have a healthier population.” 

And, says Hidary, there is no shortage of sunlight. 

“Ultimately there is more sun, there is more solar power, that hits the land part of the earth - the place where we live - in an hour than we as humans - than seven billion people - use in a year. So the sun is ultimately going to be the source of energy for this planet. That is how we are going to power ourselves in the future. So we might as well just accept that and move to the future right now.”

1 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

7 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

8 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

9 outfitted   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They outfitted for the long journey. 他们为远途旅行准备装束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They outfitted him with artificial legs. 他们为他安了假腿。 来自辞典例句

10 facades   

n.（房屋的）正面( facade的名词复数 )；假象，外观

参考例句：

• Terraces of asphalt are placed by the building's south and west facades. 沥青露台位于建筑的南面和西面。 来自互联网
• Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. 保存历史建筑或是保持它们普通的正面增长。 来自互联网

11 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

12 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

13 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

14 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

15 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。