How much electricity does it take to power the world?

譯者: 【1002熊詩芸】 Jenny 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

You flip a switch.

打開開關這簡單動作的背後

Coal burns in a furnace, which turns water into steam.

煤在爐裡燃燒，將水變成蒸氣

That steam spins a turbine, which activates a generator,

蒸氣轉動渦輪，進而啟動發電機

which pushes electrons through the wire.

接著推動電子通過導線，形成電流

This current propagates through hundreds of miles of electric cables

電流藉由數百英里電纜的傳送

and arrives at your home.

送達你家

All around the world, countless people are doing this every second—

全世界每秒都有無數的人在做這些事

flipping a switch, plugging in, pressing an “on” button.

打開開關、插電、按下「開啟」按鈕

So how much electricity does humanity need?

那麼人類到底需要多少電呢？

The amount we collectively use is changing fast,

我們的總用量變化很快

so to answer this question,

所以要回答這個問題

we need to know not just how much the world uses today,

我們不僅需要知道 目前全世界用了多少

but how much we’ll use in the future.

還需要知道我們未來會用多少

The first step is understanding how we measure electricity.

第一步是了解我們如何測量電

It’s a little bit tricky.

這有點講究

A joule is a unit of energy,

焦耳是能量的單位

but we usually don't measure electricity in just joules.

但我們通常不會僅以焦耳來測量電

Instead, we measure it in watts.

而是用瓦特來測量它

Watts tell us how much energy, per second, it takes to power something.

瓦特是驅動某物時，每秒需要的能量

One joule per second equals one watt.

1 焦耳／秒＝1 瓦特

It takes about .1 watts to power a smart phone,

智慧手機大約需要 0.1 瓦特

a thousand to power your house, a million for a small town,

一個家需要一千瓦特 小城鎮需要一百萬瓦特

and a billion for a mid-size city.

中型城市需要 10 億瓦特

As of 2020, it takes 3 trillion watts to power the entire world.

2020 年，全球使用高達三兆瓦特

But almost a billion people don’t have access to reliable electricity.

但有近 10 億人無法取得 供應穩定的電源

As countries become more industrialized and more people join the grid,

隨著各國工業化的程度提高 以及更多人加入電網

electricity demand is expected to increase about 80% by 2050.

預計到 2050 年 電力需求將增加約 80%

That number isn't the complete picture.

這個數字並不是最終的結果

We'll also have to use electricity in completely new ways.

有各樣新的應用 需要增加未來的電力供應

Right now, we power a lot of things by burning fossil fuels,

目前，我們藉由燃燒化石燃料 供電給很多東西

emitting an unsustainable amount of greenhouse gases

排放了不永續的溫室氣體

that contribute to global warming.

導致全球暖化

We’ll have to eliminate these emissions entirely

我們必須完全消除這些排放

to ensure a sustainable future for humanity.

以確保人類擁有永續的未來

The first step to doing so, for many industries,

對許多產業而言

is to switch from fossil fuels to electric power.

第一步就是從化石燃料轉向電力

We'll need to electrify cars,

我們需要使汽車電氣化

switch buildings heated by natural gas furnaces to electric heat pumps,

將建築物的供熱系統 由使用天然氣的燃燒爐改為電熱泵

and electrify the huge amount of heat used in industrial processes.

並將工業製程中 大量使用的熱改以電發熱

So all told, global electricity needs could triple by 2050.

簡言之，全球電力需求到 2050 年 將成長為現在的三倍

We’ll also need all that electricity to come from clean energy sources

若我們決心要解決 化石燃料引起的問題

if it’s going to solve the problems caused by fossil fuels.

就必須從清潔能源中獲取所有電力

Today, only one third of the electricity we generate comes from clean sources.

目前，我們所生產的電力中 只有三分之一是來自於清潔能源

Fossil fuels are cheap and convenient, easy to ship,

化石燃料便宜又方便，易於運輸

and easy to turn into electricity on demand.

也很容易即時轉換成需要的電力

So how can we close the gap?

那我們要如何縮小差距呢？

Wind and solar power work great for places with lots of wind and sunshine,

風力和太陽能非常適合 風和陽光充足的地方

but we can’t store and ship sunlight or wind the way we can transport oil.

但我們無法像我們運輸石油一樣 儲存和運輸陽光或風力

To make full use of energy from these sources at other times or in other places,

為了在其他時間或地方 充分利用這些太陽能和風能

we’d have to store it in batteries

我們必須將其儲存在電池中

and improve our power grid infrastructure to transport it long distances.

並改善我們的電網基礎設施 以利遠距傳輸

Meanwhile, nuclear power plants use nuclear fission

另外，核電廠利用核分裂

to generate carbon-free electricity.

可產生無碳電力

Though still more expensive than plants that burn fossil fuels,

雖然仍比燃燒化石燃料的發電廠昂貴

they can be built anywhere

但核電廠可以蓋在任何地方

and don’t depend on intermittent energy sources like the sun or wind.

並且不受太陽或風等間歇性能源的限制

Researchers are currently working to improve nuclear waste disposal

研究人員正致力於改善核廢料處理

and the safety of nuclear plants.

和核電廠的安全

There’s another possibility we’ve been trying to crack since the 1940s:

自 1940 年代以來 我們一直試圖破解另一種可能性：

nuclear fusion.

核融合

It involves smashing light atoms together, so they fuse,

即讓輕原子互相撞擊而融合

and harnessing the energy this releases.

並控制所釋放的能量

Accidents aren't a concern with nuclear fusion,

核融合無事故之虞

and it doesn't produce the long-lived radioactive waste fission does.

也不會像核分裂一樣 產生永久性的放射性廢料

It also doesn’t have the transport concerns

它也不存在運輸問題

associated with wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.

像風力、太陽能和其他再生能源一樣

A major breakthrough here could revolutionize clean energy.

這方面的重大突破可能會為清潔能源 帶來革命性的改變

The same is true of nuclear fission, solar, and wind.

核分裂、太陽能和風力也一樣

Breakthroughs in any of these technologies,

任一項技術的突破

and especially in all of them together, can change the world:

甚至這些技術都有所突破 就能翻轉世界

就能翻轉世界

not only helping us triple our electricity supply,

不僅供電提升為三倍

but enabling us to sustain it.

也使我們得以維持此供電能力