Name: Building the world's largest (and most controversial) power plant - Alex Gendler
Uploaded: 2020-12-15T18:12:02.000Z
Duration: 5 min 38 s

In 2018, a single power plant  produced more energy

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

than the world's largest coal-powered and gas-powered plants combined.

2018 年，有單一一座 發電廠所產生的電量

And rather than using finite fossil fuels,

超過世界上最大的燃煤及燃氣 發電廠加起來的總發電量。

this massively powerful plant relied on a time-tested source of renewable energy:

且這座強大的發電廠用的 不是有限的化石燃料，

而是經過時間考驗的 可再生能源來源：

China's Three Gorges Dam isn't just  the world's largest hydroelectric plant.

中國的三峽大壩總長超過 2.3 公里，

It's capable of producing more energy than any other power plant on Earth.

不僅是世界上最大的水力發電廠，

So what allows Three Gorges  to generate all this power?

它所能產生的電力勝過 地球上任何一座發電廠。

And how do hydroelectric plants work in the first place?

是什麼因素讓三峽大壩 可以產生這麼大的電量？

A hydroelectric dam is essentially  a massive gate,

水力發電廠的運作原理又是什麼？

which redirects a river's natural flow through a large pipe called a penstock.

基本上，水力發電水壩 是個巨大的柵門，

Rushing water flows through the penstock and turns the blades of a turbine,

透過一種叫做壓力鋼管的大型管道 將河流的天然水流重新導向。

which is attached to a generator in an adjacent power station.

水流高速通過壓力鋼管， 轉動渦輪發動機的葉片，

The turning of the blades spins coils of wire inside a magnetic field,

發動機則連結到 相鄰發電站的發電機上。

producing a steady supply of electricity.

葉片的轉動會讓 磁場內的線圈不斷旋轉，

Because the penstocks can be sealed at any time,

a dam can hold back excess water during stormy seasons,

因為任何時候都可以封住壓力鋼管，

水壩可以在暴雨季時 保留住多餘的水，

This allows hydroelectric dams  to produce power

while simultaneously preventing floods further downstream.

These benefits have long appealed  to China's Hubei Province.

Located near the basin of the Yangtze River,

這些益處長久以來 吸引著中國的湖北省。

this region is prone to deadly floods during rainy seasons

這個區域位在長江的盆地附近，

Plans to build a dam that would transform this volatile waterway

就很容易受到致命的洪水襲擊。

into a stable source of power circulated throughout the 20th century.

在二十世紀，一直都有計畫 想要建造一座水壩，

When construction finally began in 1994 the plans were epic.

將這反覆無常的水路 轉變成穩定的電力來源。

The dam would contain 32 turbines— 12 more than the previous record holder,

The turbines would supply energy  to two separate power stations,

水壩會有三十二台渦輪發動機——

each connecting to a series of cables spanning hundreds of kilometers.

南美的伊泰普水壩是之前的 記錄保持者，也比它少十二台。

Electricity from Three Gorges would reach power grids as far away as Shanghai.

渦輪發動機會把電力傳送至 兩個分開的發電站，

However, the human costs  of this ambition were steep.

workers needed to flood over  600 square kilometers of land upstream.

三峽的電力可以傳送的距離 遠至上海的電力網。

This area included 13 cities,  hundreds of villages,

然而，這個野心計畫的 人力成本相當高。

and over 1,000 historical and archaeological sites.

The construction displaced roughly 1.4 million people,

工人必須要將上游 六百平方公里的土地淹沒。

and the government's relocation programs were widely considered insufficient.

Many argued against this controversial construction,

but others estimated that the lives saved by the dam's flood protection

還有一千多個歷史景點及考古地點。

would outweigh the trauma  of displacement.

這項工程迫使大約 一百四十萬人必須搬遷，

Furthermore, raising the water level upstream

且政府的重新安頓計畫 被廣泛認為不足夠。

許多人反對這項爭議性的建設案，

increase shipping capacity, and transform the region

但其他人則估計水壩的 防洪效應所拯救的人命，

into a collection  of prosperous port towns.

China became the world's largest producer of electricity.

In 2018, the dam generated 101.6 billion kilowatt-hours.

That's enough electricity to power  nearly 2% of China for one year;

成為有著大量繁榮港口鎮的地區。

or to power New York City  for almost two years.

This is a truly astonishing amount of energy.

中國一躍成為世界上 發電量最大的國家。

And yet, two years earlier,  another dam less than half the size

三峽大壩每小時能產生 1016 億千瓦的電力。

Despite Three Gorges record-setting scale, the Itaipu Dam still produced more power.

這個量差不多可以供電給 中國近 2% 的地區整整一年，

To understand why Itaipu can outperform Three Gorges,

we need to look at the two factors that determine a dam's energy output.

但，兩年之前，出現另一座水壩，

Three Gorges has the world's highest installed turbine capacity,

只有它的一半大， 產出的電力卻更多。

meaning it's theoretically capable  of producing over 50% more power

儘管三峽大壩的規模是世界記錄，

但伊泰普水壩產生的電力卻更多。

But the second factor is the force  and frequency of water

要知道為什麼伊泰普水壩 能夠超越三峽大壩，

我們就得要先了解影響 水壩電力輸出的兩個因素。

Three Gorges spans several deep, narrow ravines surging with powerful water.

However, the Yangtze's seasonal changes keep the dam from reaching

三峽大壩安裝的渦輪發動機 能產生的能量是世界最大，

is located atop what was previously the planet's largest waterfall by volume.

Although the dam's construction destroyed this natural wonder,

那些渦輪發動機的力量和頻率。

三峽大壩橫跨了 數個又深又窄的溝壑，

to consistently generate more power each year.

然而，長江的季節性改變讓大壩

and other projects like the Inga Falls Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo

are also vying for the title  of most powerful power plant.

But whatever the future holds, governments will need to ensure

位在瀑布上，且這個瀑布 曾是世界上水量最大的瀑布。

that a power plant's environmental and human impact

雖然該水壩的建造摧毀了 這個大自然奇蹟，

are as sustainable as the energy it produces.

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Building the world's largest (and most controversial) power plant - Alex Gendler

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