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

翻译人员: Zizhuo Liang 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

In 2018, a single power plant produced more energy

2018 年，一座发电厂的 发电量超过了

世界上最大的燃煤发电厂和 燃气发电厂发电量的总和。

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

And rather than using finite fossil fuels,

与其使用有限的化石燃料，

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

这座巨大的发电厂依靠的是 一种经过时间考验的可再生能源：

running water.

流动水源。

Stretching over 2.3 kilometers,

绵延 2.3 公里，

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

中国的三峡大坝 不仅仅是世界上最大的水电站，

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

它比地球上任何一个 发电厂产生的能量都要多。

So what allows Three Gorges to generate all this power?

那么，是什么能让三峡大坝 产生如此多的电能呢？

And how do hydroelectric plants work in the first place?

水电站到底是如何运作的呢？

A hydroelectric dam is essentially a massive gate,

水电站大坝的本质 是一个巨大的闸门，

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

它让河流的天然水流通过一个叫做 压力水渠（penstock）的大管道。

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

湍急的水流流过压力管道 并转动涡轮的叶片，

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

这些涡轮与 相邻发电站的发电机相连。

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

叶片的转动使线圈在磁场中旋转，

producing a steady supply of electricity.

从而产生稳定的电力供应。

Because the penstocks can be sealed at any time,

由于压力管道可以随时密封，

a dam can hold back excess water during stormy seasons,

大坝可以在暴雨季节 阻挡住多余的水，

and save it for dry ones.

并将这些水保存起来， 待到干旱季节备用。

This allows hydroelectric dams to produce power

这使水电站可以在

regardless of the weather,

任何天气情况下发电，

while simultaneously preventing floods further downstream.

同时也可以防止下游洪水泛滥。

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

这些好处一直吸引着 中国的湖北省。

Located near the basin of the Yangtze River,

位于长江流域附近的

this region is prone to deadly floods during rainy seasons

这一地区，在雨季 长江的水流最强的时候

when the Yangtze’s flow is strongest.

容易发生致命的洪水。

Plans to build a dam that would transform this volatile waterway

在此建造一座大坝的计划 将这条动荡不安的水道

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

转变成一个稳定的能源来源， 满足整个二十世纪的供电需求。

When construction finally began in 1994 the plans were epic.

当 1994 年该项目最终启动时， 这些计划算得上是史诗级的。

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

大坝将容纳 32 台涡轮机， 比之前的记录保持者，

South America’s Itaipu Dam.

南美洲的伊泰普大坝 还要多 12 台。

The turbines would supply energy to two separate power stations,

这些涡轮机将为 两个独立的电站提供能源，

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

每个电站连接一系列 横跨数百公里的电缆。

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

三峡的电可以送达 和上海一样远的电网。

However, the human costs of this ambition were steep.

然而，这一雄心壮志的 人力成本是巨大的。

To create the dam’s reservoir,

为了建造大坝的水库，

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

工人们需要淹没上游 600 多平方公里的土地。

This area included 13 cities, hundreds of villages,

这一地区包括 13 个城市、数百个村庄

and over 1,000 historical and archaeological sites.

和 1000 多个历史和考古遗址。

The construction displaced roughly 1.4 million people,

建筑工程使大约 140 万人流离失所，

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

政府的搬迁计划 被普遍认为不够完善。

Many argued against this controversial construction,

许多人反对这一有争议的建设，

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

但其他人估计， 大坝防洪所挽救的生命的数量

would outweigh the trauma of displacement.

将超过流离失所造成的创伤。

Furthermore, raising the water level upstream

此外，提高上游水位

would improve the river’s navigability,

将改善河流的通航能力，

increase shipping capacity, and transform the region

增加航运能力， 并将该地区转变为

into a collection of prosperous port towns.

繁荣的港口城镇。

When the project was completed in 2012,

2012 年该项目建成后，

China became the world’s largest producer of electricity.

中国成为世界上 最大的电力生产国。

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

2018 年，大坝发电量为 1016 亿千瓦时。

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

足以为中国近 2% 的地区 提供一年的电力；

or to power New York City for almost two years.

或者给纽约市提供近两年的电力。

This is a truly astonishing amount of energy.

大坝的发电量的确让人难以置信。

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

然而就在两年前，有一座规模 仅为三峡大坝一半的水坝

actually generated more electricity.

实际发电量比三峡大坝还要多。

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

尽管三峡的规模创下了历史纪录， 但伊泰普大坝比它发的电更多。

To understand why Itaipu can outperform Three Gorges,

为了理解伊泰普的 性能为什么优于三峡，

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

我们需要看看决定大坝 能量输出的两个因素。

The first is the number of turbines.

首先是涡轮机的数量。

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

三峡拥有世界上 最大的水轮机装机容量，

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

这意味着，理论上 它的发电能力要比伊泰普

than Itaipu.

高出 50% 以上。

But the second factor is the force and frequency of water

但第二个因素是， 水流通过这些涡轮机的

moving through those turbines.

力量和频率。

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

三峡跨越了好几个深谷， 狭窄的峡谷中涌动着强大的水流。

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

然而，长江的季节性变化 使大坝无法到达

its theoretical maximum output.

它的理论最大输出。

The Itaipu Dam, on the other hand,

另一方面，伊泰普大坝，

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

位于地球上体积最大的瀑布顶端。

Although the dam’s construction destroyed this natural wonder,

尽管大坝的建设破坏了 这一自然奇观，

the constant flow of water allows Itaipu

但是源源不断的水流 使伊泰普大坝

to consistently generate more power each year.

每年都能持续发电。

This dam rivalry is far from over,

这场水坝之争远未结束，

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

刚果民主共和国的因加瀑布大坝等 其他水利工项目

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

也在争夺最强发电厂的称号。

But whatever the future holds, governments will need to ensure

但无论未来如何， 各国政府都需要确保

that a power plant’s environmental and human impact

发电厂对环境和人类的影响

are as sustainable as the energy it produces.

和电厂产生的能源 一样可持续。