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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In 2018, a single power plant produced more energy

2018 年，有單一一座 發電廠所產生的電量

超過世界上最大的燃煤及燃氣 發電廠加起來的總發電量。

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

And rather than using finite fossil fuels,

且這座強大的發電廠用的 不是有限的化石燃料，

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

而是經過時間考驗的 可再生能源來源：

running water.

流水。

Stretching over 2.3 kilometers,

中國的三峽大壩總長超過 2.3 公里，

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

不僅是世界上最大的水力發電廠，

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

它所能產生的電力勝過 地球上任何一座發電廠。

So what allows Three Gorges to generate all this power?

是什麼因素讓三峽大壩 可以產生這麼大的電量？

And how do hydroelectric plants work in the first place?

水力發電廠的運作原理又是什麼？

A hydroelectric dam is essentially a massive gate,

基本上，水力發電水壩 是個巨大的柵門，

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

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。

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

水流高速通過壓力鋼管， 轉動渦輪發動機的葉片，

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

發動機則連結到 相鄰發電站的發電機上。

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

葉片的轉動會讓 磁場內的線圈不斷旋轉，

producing a steady supply of electricity.

產生穩定的電力供應。

Because the penstocks can be sealed at any time,

因為任何時候都可以封住壓力鋼管，

a dam can hold back excess water during stormy seasons,

水壩可以在暴雨季時 保留住多餘的水，

and save it for dry ones.

等到乾旱季時再使用。

This allows hydroelectric dams to produce power

這麼一來，不論天氣如何，

水力發電水壩都能維持發電，

regardless of the weather,

while simultaneously preventing floods further downstream.

同時還能防止下游的水患。

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

這些益處長久以來 吸引著中國的湖北省。

Located near the basin of the Yangtze River,

這個區域位在長江的盆地附近，

this region is prone to deadly floods during rainy seasons

在雨季長江的水流最強時，

就很容易受到致命的洪水襲擊。

when the Yangtze’s flow is strongest.

Plans to build a dam that would transform this volatile waterway

在二十世紀，一直都有計畫 想要建造一座水壩，

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

將這反覆無常的水路 轉變成穩定的電力來源。

When construction finally began in 1994 the plans were epic.

1994 年，工程終於開始，

建造計畫十分宏大。

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

水壩會有三十二台渦輪發動機——

南美的伊泰普水壩是之前的 記錄保持者，也比它少十二台。

South America’s Itaipu Dam.

The turbines would supply energy to two separate power stations,

渦輪發動機會把電力傳送至 兩個分開的發電站，

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

各自連結一連串纜線，

全長數百公里。

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

三峽的電力可以傳送的距離 遠至上海的電力網。

However, the human costs of this ambition were steep.

然而，這個野心計畫的 人力成本相當高。

To create the dam’s reservoir,

為了建造這個水壩用的水庫，

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

工人必須要將上游 六百平方公里的土地淹沒。

This area included 13 cities, hundreds of villages,

這個區域包含了十三個城市、

數百個村落，

and over 1,000 historical and archaeological sites.

還有一千多個歷史景點及考古地點。

The construction displaced roughly 1.4 million people,

這項工程迫使大約 一百四十萬人必須搬遷，

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

且政府的重新安頓計畫 被廣泛認為不足夠。

Many argued against this controversial construction,

許多人反對這項爭議性的建設案，

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

但其他人則估計水壩的 防洪效應所拯救的人命，

would outweigh the trauma of displacement.

會超過搬遷所造成的創傷。

Furthermore, raising the water level upstream

此外，上游的水位上升，

would improve the river’s navigability,

能改善長江的適航性，

increase shipping capacity, and transform the region

增加船運量，將該區域轉變

into a collection of prosperous port towns.

成為有著大量繁榮港口鎮的地區。

When the project was completed in 2012,

2012 年計畫完成時，

China became the world’s largest producer of electricity.

中國一躍成為世界上 發電量最大的國家。

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

2018 年，

三峽大壩每小時能產生 1016 億千瓦的電力。

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

這個量差不多可以供電給 中國近 2% 的地區整整一年，

or to power New York City for almost two years.

或供電給紐約市近兩年。

This is a truly astonishing amount of energy.

這樣的電力真的很驚人。

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

但，兩年之前，出現另一座水壩，

只有它的一半大， 產出的電力卻更多。

actually generated more electricity.

Despite Three Gorges record-setting scale, the Itaipu Dam still produced 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。

To understand why Itaipu can outperform Three Gorges,

要知道為什麼伊泰普水壩 能夠超越三峽大壩，

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

我們就得要先了解影響 水壩電力輸出的兩個因素。

The first is the number of turbines.

第一，渦輪發動機的數量。

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

三峽大壩安裝的渦輪發動機 能產生的能量是世界最大，

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

意即，理論上，它產生的電力

應該比伊泰普至少高出 50%。

than Itaipu.

But the second factor is the force and frequency of water

但，第二個因素是水通過

那些渦輪發動機的力量和頻率。

moving through those turbines.

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

三峽大壩橫跨了 數個又深又窄的溝壑，

有著強大的水流。

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

然而，長江的季節性改變讓大壩

its theoretical maximum output.

無法達到理論上的最大輸出。

The Itaipu Dam, on the other hand,

另一方面，伊泰普水壩

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

位在瀑布上，且這個瀑布 曾是世界上水量最大的瀑布。

Although the dam’s construction destroyed this natural wonder,

雖然該水壩的建造摧毀了 這個大自然奇蹟，

the constant flow of water allows Itaipu

但持續的水流讓伊泰普

to consistently generate more power each year.

每年都能穩定地產生更多電力。

This dam rivalry is far from over,

這場水壩大對抗離結束還早得很，

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

剛果民主共和國的印加瀑布水壩 以及其他的建設計畫

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

都有機會爭奪地球上 發電力最強的頭銜。

But whatever the future holds, governments will need to ensure

但，不論未來如何，政府必須要確保

that a power plant’s environmental and human impact

發電廠對環境及人類的影響

are as sustainable as the energy it produces.

要和它所產生的能源一樣永續。