The beautiful future of solar power | Marjan van Aubel

譯者: Zoe Chang 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Last summer, I was hiking through the Austrian mountains.

去年夏天我在奧地利山間徒步旅行。

And there, on top, I saw this beautiful, stone, remote hut,

在山頂我看到了這個漂亮的石頭山屋，

and it had solar panels on it.

屋頂上還裝了太陽能板。

And every time I see solar panels, I get very enthusiastic.

每一次我看到太陽能板都很興奮。

It's this technology that takes sunlight, which is free and available,

因為這個科技將免費豐沛的太陽光

and turns that into electricity.

轉化成電力。

So this hut, in the middle of nowhere, on a beautiful location,

小屋所在的地點很漂亮也很偏僻，

was self-sufficient.

可是卻因此而自給自足。

But why do solar panels always have to be so ugly?

可是為什麼太陽能板老是這麼醜啊？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

My name is Marjan Van Aubel and I'm a solar designer.

我是瑪爾洋·范·奧貝， 我是太陽能設計師。

I work in the triangle of design, sustainability and technology.

我的工作包含了三個面向： 設計、永續及科技。

I strive for extreme efficiency,

我追求卓越效能，

meaning that I develop materials that expand in size

我開發有彈性能展延面積的新材料，

or work with solar cells that use the properties of colors

同時工作上也運用那些 帶有顏色特質來發電的

to generate electricity.

太陽能電池。

My work is in museums all over the world, such as MoMA.

世界各地的美術館都有我的作品， 像紐約現代藝術博物館（MoMA）。

And, I mean, it all went quite well,

一切都進行得很順利，

but it always felt that something was missing.

可是感覺好像少了點什麼。

And it was, until I read the book called the "Solar Revolution,"

直到我讀了《太陽能革命》這本書，

where it says that within one hour we receive enough sunlight

它提到我們在一個小時內 接收到的陽光就足夠

to provide the world with enough electricity

轉換成全球一年所需的發電量。

for an entire year.

One hour.

一個小時。

And since then, I realized I just want to focus on solar.

就在那時我決定把重心放在太陽能上。

Scientists all over the world

全球各地的科學家們

have been focusing on making solar panels more efficient and cheaper.

致力於提高太陽能板的效能， 以及降低它的成本。

So the price of solar has dropped enormously.

所以太陽能的價格已經大幅下降。

And this is because China started producing them on a large scale.

這是因為中國大規模投入生產，

And also their efficiency has increased a lot.

以及太陽能板的效能大幅提升。

They now even have an efficiency of 44.5 percent.

目前效能已經高達 44.5%。

But if you think about the image of solar cells,

可是當你想到太陽能電池，

it's kind of stayed the same for the last 60 years.

60 年來它好像沒甚麼改變。

It's still this technology just stacked onto something.

一樣是裝置在某件東西上的科技。

And solar cells need to be much better integrated into our environment.

它應該要與環境融合得更好。

Climate change is the biggest problem of our time.

氣候變遷是這個時代最大的問題。

And we can't rely on the others -- the government, the engineers --

而我們不能倚賴他人 ── 政府、研究人員 ──

to make positive changes.

去做積極的改變。

We all can contribute towards change.

所有人都可以為了改變作出貢獻。

Like I said, I'm a designer

以我來說，我是設計師，

and I would like to change things through design.

所以我用設計來改變事物。

Let me give you some examples of my work.

讓我給你們幾個例子。

I'm collaborating with Swarovski, the crystal company.

我和施華洛世奇水晶公司合作。

And if you cut crystals in a certain way,

如果你以某種方式切割水晶，

you are able to bend and direct the light onto a certain place.

你就能將光折射到某個特定位置。

So I use these crystals to focus the light onto a solar panel,

我用水晶將光投射到一個太陽能板上，

making them more efficient, but using aesthetics.

提高了效率，同時兼具美感。

So you take the solar crystal with you in the light,

這個太陽能水晶白天時採集陽光，

there's a battery in the solar cell,

之後它裡面的活動式電池

you put it in a docking station

可以取出放入室內的充電座裡，

and you are able to power these chandeliers.

用來啟動這些室內的吊燈。

So you're literally bringing the light indoors.

就像把室外的自然光搬進室內。

I got completely hooked on solar when I came across this technology

我完全迷上太陽能是因為

called dye-sensitized solar cells,

「染料敏化太陽能電池」這個技術，

colored solar cells,

染色的太陽能電池，

and they are based on photosynthesis in plants.

運用植物的光合作用原理。

Where the green chlorophyl converts light into sugar for plants,

植物中的綠色葉綠素將太陽光 轉化成植物所需的糖，

these cells convert light into electricity.

這些太陽能電池將光轉換成電力。

The best thing is, they even work indoors.

最好的一點是，它們在室內也可用。

So different colors have different efficiency,

所以每個顏色有它不同的效率，

depending on their place on the color spectrum.

取決於它在色譜上的位置。

So, for example, red is more efficient than blue.

舉例來說，紅色比藍色的效能高。

So if I hear this as a designer:

所以身為設計師的我

a colored surface, a glass colored surface,

聽到有染色的物體表面， 像是彩色玻璃，

color that's mostly just used for esthetics,

以前染上顏色只是為了美觀，

now gets an extra function and is able to harvest electricity,

可現在可以多個新功能，採集電力，

I think, where can we apply this, then?

我就想，嗯， 這個可以運用在哪呢？

This is Current Table,

這是 Current 桌，

where the whole tabletop consists of these colored solar cells.

整個桌面由染料敏化太陽能電池構成。

There are batteries in the legs

桌腿內含有電池

where you can charge your phone through USB ports.

有 USB 插槽可讓你的手機充電。

And in my work, it's always very important,

在我的工作中有一點很重要的是

the balance between efficiency and aesthetics.

實用性與美感的平衡。

So that's why the table is orange,

那也正是這桌子用橘色的原因，

because it is a very stable color for indoors.

因為橘色對室內是一個很穩定的顏色。

And this is always the most asked question I get:

我最常被問到的問題是：

"OK, great, but how many phones can I charge from this, then?"

「OK，太好了，那我一次 可以充幾支手機呢？」

And before I go to this complicated answer of like,

以前我的回覆有點複雜，

"Well, where is the table, does it have enough light,

「那得看桌子是否有足夠的光源，

is it next to a window?"

是否擺在窗戶旁邊？」

The table now has sensors that read the light intensity of the room.

現在它具備了一個感應器， 可以讀取室內光線的強弱度。

So through an app we developed

透過我們發展的一個應用程式

you can literally follow how much light it's getting,

你可看到這個桌子接收多少光源，

and how full the battery is.

及它的電池有多少電力。

I'm actually proud, because yesterday we installed a table

我覺得很自豪，因為昨天我們才在

阿姆斯特丹的 DOEN 基金會 組裝了一張桌子，

at Stichting Doen's offices in Amsterdam

and, right at this moment,

此時此刻，

our Queen Maxima is charging a phone from this table.

我們的麥西瑪王后正在用 這張桌子幫她的手機充電。

It's cool.

多酷啊。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So the more surface you have, the more energy you can harvest.

所以表面積愈大，收穫的電力也愈多。

These are Current Windows,

這是 Current 窗，

where we replaced all windows in a gallery in London, in Soho,

裝在倫敦蘇活區的一間畫廊裡，

with this modern version of stained glass.

傳統窗戶被我們改裝成 新式的染色玻璃。

So people from the street could come and charge their phones

街上的行人隨時可以進來

through the window ledges.

在窗台上為手機充電。

So I'm giving extra functions to objects.

這是我提供給物件的額外功能。

A window doesn't have to be just a window anymore.

窗戶可以不再只是一個窗戶。

It can also function as a little power station.

它同時也可以是一個小型發電站。

So, here I am, talking about how much I love solar,

我在這裡述說我如何熱愛太陽能，

but I don't have solar panels on my roof.

可我住所的屋頂上卻沒有太陽能板。

I live in the center of Amsterdam,

我住在阿姆斯特丹的市中心，

I don't own the house and it's a monument,

房子不是我的，而且因為它是古蹟，

so it's not possible and not allowed.

因此不可能也不允許加裝太陽能板。

So how can you make solar cells more accessible and for everyone,

要如何讓太陽能電力普及到每一個人，

and not only for the people that can afford a sustainable lifestyle?

而不是限制在少數有能力 消費永續生活方式的人呢？

We now have the opportunity

我們現在有個機會

to integrate solar on the place where we directly need it.

把太陽能與直接需要 電力的地方整合起來。

And there are so many amazing technologies out there.

現在也有好多驚人的技術供我們使用。

If I look around now, I see every surface as an opportunity.

周遭每個表面都是運用的機會。

For example, I was driving in the train through the Westland,

例如，我搭火車經過西邊的威斯蘭，

the area in the Netherlands with all the greenhouses.

荷蘭所有的溫室都在那裏。

There I saw all this glass and thought,

我看到那麼多玻璃我就想，

what if we integrate those with transparent solar glass?

能否將它們升級成透明的太陽能玻璃？

What if we integrate traditional farming

是否能將那些需要很多能源的

that requires a lot of energy

傳統農業升級，

together with high-tech and combine those?

用高科技與太陽能玻璃整合？

With this idea in mind, I created Power Plant.

這個想法引我做出「Power Plant」。

I had a team of architects and engineers,

我有一個建築師及工程師的團隊，

but let me first explain how it works.

不過，首先，讓我說明它的原理。

We use transparent solar glass

我們使用透明的太陽能玻璃

to power its indoor climate.

提供室內氣候所需的能源。

We use hydroponics that pumps around nutrified water,

我們用含有養分的水做水耕栽培，

saving 90 percent of water usage.

節省了 90% 的用水。

By stacking up in layers, you are able to grow more yield per square meter.

用層疊的方式，每一平方公尺 可以種植更多的植物。

Extra light, besides sunlight, coming from these colored LED lights

除了陽光，還有這些彩色 LED 燈產出的額外光線

also enhances plant growth.

幫助植物成長。

As more and more people will live in big cities,

愈來愈多人居住在大城市內，

by placing Power Plants on the rooftops

藉由在屋頂上安裝 Power Plant 溫室，

you don't have to fly it in from the other side of the world,

我們就不需要從地球另一端進口，

you are able to grow it on the location itself.

我們可以就地種植生產。

Well, the big dream is to build these in off-grid places --

最大的夢想是將這些溫室 蓋在離網地區──

where there's no access to water, electricity --

那些沒有水沒有電的地方，

as an independent ecosystem.

作為一個完全獨立的生態系統。

For this year's Design Biennial,

所以為了今年的設計雙年展，

I created the first four-meter high model of the power plant,

我做了一個四公尺高的模型，

so you could come in and experience how plants grow.

讓人可以走進去體驗植物如何生長。

So it's a double harvest of sunlight,

所以收集到的陽光有了雙倍的運用，

so both for the solar cells and for the plants.

將太陽能電池充電，也培養了植物。

It's like a future botanical garden,

這有點像是未來的植物園，

where we celebrate all these modern technologies.

在其中運用到所有最新的科技。

And the biggest compliment I got was, "But where are the solar panels?"

我得到最大的讚賞是當人們問我： 「太陽能板在哪裡？」

And that's when I think design really works,

那證明我的設計成功了，

when it becomes invisible and you don't notice it.

因為我讓它隱形了，完全看不到。

I believe in solar democracy:

我相信太陽能民主：

solar energy for everyone, everywhere.

太陽能應該是不分國界不分種族的。

My aim is to make all surfaces productive.

我的目標是讓所有東西的 表面積都能有所用。

I want to build houses where all the windows, curtains, walls,

我想建造一種房子，裡面的 窗戶、窗簾、牆壁，

even floors are harvesting electricity.

甚至地板都能用來收集電力。

Think about this on a big scale:

想像這個目標再放大一點：

in cities, there are so many surfaces.

城市裡可利用的表面積到處都是。

The sun is still available for everyone.

太陽仍在普照著所有人。

And by integrating solar on the place where we need it,

藉著將太陽能整合到需要電力的地方，

we now have the opportunity to make solar cells accessible for everyone.

我們有機會將太陽能電池 普及到每個需要的人。

I want to bring solar close to the people with you,

我想將太陽能 以美麗與實用兼具的方式

but beautiful and well designed.

呈現給所有的人。

Thank you.

謝謝。