The Carbonless Fuel That Could Change How We Ship Goods | Maria Gallucci | TED

譯者: Michael Liao 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

A few years ago, I sailed on a ship that comes from an earlier era,

幾年前，我曾經搭乘過一艘比較古早的船。

when moving goods by sea didn't mean polluting the planet.

這艘船來自一個 海運尚未汙染地球的年代。

Our voyage to the Caribbean was eye-opening,

那趟前往加勒比海的旅程令我大開眼界。

and not just because I learned that apparently, I’m incurably seasick.

除了讓我認知到自己 暈船的症狀顯然十分嚴重之外，

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

I also saw what it's like

我也感受到，

when you take away the diesel fumes and the black smoke

當貨輪與港口，不再排放 由柴油而產生的廢氣時，

that spew from today's freighters and ports.

那個氛圍是如此美好。

Instead, our vessel smelled like fresh sea breeze

取而代之的是，海的清香、

and the bags of cardamom we carried

船上載運著的荳蔻 所散發出的香氣

and all that camomile tea I was chugging.

與我手上的洋甘菊花茶 所逸散出的芬芳。

Nearly every modern cargo ship relies on highly polluting fossil fuels.

幾乎所有現代的貨輪 都仰賴高汙染的石化燃料。

Fortunately, there's a way to clean up the industry,

幸好，有一個方法可以淨化這個產業。

beyond just reviving old-fashioned sailing ships,

那個方法不會動用古早的帆船，

and it's ...

而靠的是...

green ammonia.

綠色氨氣(green ammonia)。

If you know anything about ammonia,

一般人對氨氣的印象多半是

it's probably that it's stinky, it's toxic, it's potentially explosive.

氣味刺鼻且容易爆炸的有毒氣體。

So it's a great place to start, right?

可說是個好印象呢！

Ammonia is mainly used today to make chemicals and fertilizers.

氨氣今日主要是 製造化學藥劑與肥料的原料。

But for many reasons, industry experts are convinced

不過，由於種種原因， 業界許多專家也相信

that ammonia could be a game-changing way to drive giant cargo ships,

氨氣可以是驅動巨大貨輪的劃時代燃料，

and that it could be used safely and be cost-competitive.

安全且成本更具優勢。

Tens of thousands of freighters crisscross the oceans every day,

每天有成千上萬艘貨輪在大海上穿梭，

bringing the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive.

運輸著我們的食物、衣服與汽車。

Container ships alone

光是貨櫃船

carry some four trillion dollars worth of goods by sea every year.

每年就運送價值四兆美元的貨物，

That's roughly the GDP of Germany.

大約等於德國的國內生產毛額(GDP)。

At the same time,

同時，

the shipping industry contributes a significant share

運輸業每年也排放大量的溫室氣體，

of the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions.

佔世界年排放量的大宗。

If shipping were a country,

若把整個運輸業視為一個國家，

it'd be the sixth largest emitter of CO2,

二氧化碳年排放量 便可以排在世界第六，

trailing just behind Japan.

緊追在日本之後。

And as world economies grow and populations rise,

隨著世界經濟與人口數持續成長，

shipping's emissions are expected to soar,

運輸業的排放量只會持續增加，

unless the industry charts a cleaner course.

除非採取更乾淨的作為。

Green ammonia really first came to my attention in 2017,

我第一次注意到綠色氨氣是在2017年，

at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

在德國波恩(Bonn)舉行的 聯合國氣候變遷大會上。

At the panel I attended, ammonia seemed kind of like an aside,

在我參加的座談會上， 氨氣感覺是額外的主題，

or something we should be keeping tabs on.

應該追蹤其後續發展。

Since then, the industry has really coalesced around ammonia

從那時候起， 整個產業便圍繞著氨氣著手研究，

as the next dominant shipping fuel.

期望氨氣能成為運輸業的下一個主要燃料。

Chemical companies and investors

許多化學公司與投資者

are spending millions of dollars to build green ammonia plants,

正在興建耗資數百萬美金的 綠色氨氣工廠，

and shipbuilders and manufacturers

船廠與相關製造商

are busy developing the necessary technology.

也積極地發展有關技術。

The first ammonia-powered ships are just around the corner.

首批氨氣驅動的船隻即將來臨。

So what's so special about this pungent gas?

但到底是甚麼讓這刺鼻的氣體如此特別？

Well, to start, ammonia doesn't contain any carbon molecules,

首先，氨氣不含有碳原子，

so it doesn't create carbon dioxide when used as fuel.

所以被做為燃料燃燒時， 不會產生二氧化碳。

Instead, it contains one part nitrogen --

一單位氨氣由一單位氮原子

which is the main component of air --

(空氣中最多的原子)

and three parts hydrogen, which is a building block of water.

與三單位氫原子(構成水分子的元素)組成。

It's possible to make ammonia without using any fossil fuels.

製造氨氣不需要使用任何石化燃料，

That's what makes it "green" ammonia.

這也就是綠色氨氣之所以「綠」的原因。

Think of it like this:

這樣想好了：

instead of the oil wells and petroleum refineries

想像製造當今的高汙染燃料的

that make today's dirty diesel fuels,

油井與煉油廠不復存在，

picture solar panels or wind turbines or hydropower plants.

起而代之的是，太陽能板、 風力發電機或水力發電廠。

Renewable electricity is the foundation of this whole ammonia-making ordeal.

這些再生能源將驅動 氨氣的一連串製造過程。

We can start with electrolysis,

從電解開始，

which uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

透過電力，水會被分成氫氣與氧氣。

Then, renewables can power the process that separates nitrogen from air.

接著，靠著再生能源， 從空氣中提取氮氣。

And so with our hydrogen and nitrogen, we can combine the two

在高溫中，一個工業製程

in an industrial process at high temperatures

將氫氣(H2)與氮氣(N2)結合，

to make NH3 -- ammonia.

產生NH3，也就是氨氣。

Now, if you want to use this ammonia to power

若要使用氨氣

your thousand-foot-long freighter,

來驅動大貨輪，

you have two options.

有兩種方法。

The first is an internal combustion engine,

第一種方法是使用內燃機，

so similar to how diesel is used in ships today

也就是類似石化燃料驅動現代船隻的方式，

but with certain modifications.

但會稍微有點不同。

Experts think that the first vessels to use ammonia in their engines

專家認為化學液體貨輪會是

will be chemical tankers,

最先使用氨氣驅動引擎的船隻，

because they already carry it in their cargo holds.

因為氨氣原本就是其載運的貨物之一。

So they'll be like the early adopters.

故化學液體貨輪會是此方法的早期採用者。

The next options is to use a fuel cell.

另一個方法是使用燃料電池。

Fuel cells create electricity through a chemical reaction,

燃料電池透過化學反應發電，

and that's what drives the ship's motors and turns the propellers.

該電力再驅動船隻的引擎，轉動螺旋槳。

In Norway, work is underway

在挪威，建造世界第一艘

to launch the world's first ammonia-fuel-cell ship

氨氣燃料電池船的計畫 已經如火如荼地展開，

in just a few years' time.

預計幾年內便會完成。

So we can make green ammonia,

我們現在可以製造綠色氮氣，

and we can use it in fuel cells or engines.

也可以把氮氣用於燃料電池或驅動引擎。

The final piece of the ammonia puzzle is the infrastructure:

完成氨氣變革的最後一塊拼圖 便剩下基礎建設：

the storage facilities, the pipelines, the distribution networks --

儲存設備、管線、運輸網等設施，

everything that's needed to ensure a ship can fill its tanks

以確保世界各地的船隻都可以

anywhere in the world.

獲得氮氣。

And none of this is particularly novel,

這些都不是新東西，

because we already have infrastructure

化學與肥料產業

for the chemical and fertilizer industries.

早已建置好有關基礎建設，

Now it just needs to be built near ports,

現在只需要蓋在港口邊，

and at a global scale --

兢兢業業地

and with great caution.

將管線散佈在世界各地。

So what's needed to take ammonia mainstream?

那麼，要如何推廣氨氣？

We can draw a rough parallel to the rise of electric cars.

我們可以大略地對比電動車的崛起過程。

A decade ago,

十年前，

about 17,000 EVs were on the roads worldwide.

全世界只有17,000輛電動車。

Then, more and more countries adopted policies,

後來，越來越多國家推行相關政策，

encouraging people to buy EVs,

以鼓勵民眾購買電動車

supporting manufacturers

與資助製造商，

and to build up charging infrastructure.

並設立充電的基礎設施。

And as sales climbed and production boomed,

此外，隨著電動車銷售量攀升 與產量增長，

the cost of batteries and other components plummeted,

電池與其他零組件的成本下降，

making it easier for more people to afford electric cars.

使更多的人能夠負擔得起電動車。

So now, instead of 17,000 EVs, it's more like 10 million,

正因如此，今日全世界不再只有17,000輛， 而是一千萬輛電動車。

and green ammonia could follow a similar path

綠色氨氣正可以跟循相同的步伐，

in the shipping industry.

推廣於運輸業。

Policies to curb emissions and incentivize green investments

遏制碳排放與鼓勵綠色投資的政策

could spur a shift away from fossil fuels.

能刺激石化燃料用量的降低。

And as ammonia catches on,

且隨著氨氣燃料日漸盛行，

fuel prices and technology costs could decline in step,

其價格與技術成本將同步下降，

enabling more ship operators to make the switch.

讓更多船公司有辦法轉型。

And while all of that is happening,

與此同時，

a much bigger story will be playing out on the global scale:

規模更大的轉變會將在全球上演，

the rising development and plunging costs of renewable energy supplies.

那便是可再生能源供應的持續發展 與日益降低的成本。

Giant offshore wind farms,

廣大的離岸風力發電場、

sprawling solar arrays and other technologies

蜿蜒的太陽能板與其他科技

could provide the electrons needed to make that green ammonia.

可以提供生產綠色氨氣 所需的電子。

Green ammonia might be the main fuel source

綠色氨氣可能會是

on future cargo ships,

未來貨輪的主要燃料，

but it doesn’t have to be the only clean technology onboard.

但船上也可能會使用其他再生科技。

Ships will likely use a combination of tools.

多種技術可能會組合應用於驅動船隻。

Batteries can already power the lights and equipment on giant ships,

現今的大型船隻上， 照明與各設備可由電池驅動，

and certainly, smaller vessels can be fully battery-powered today.

而有些小型船隻已能完全由電池驅動。

Design fixes, like supersleek hulls and dolphin-like flippers,

設計上的改良， 如極細長的船身與仿海豚鰭的操控裝置

can improve ships' efficiency.

可以讓船隻的耗能更有效率。

And another technology that's quickly gaining traction

還有另一個科技正迅速崛起：

is called "wind-assisted propulsion,"

風力輔助推進系統(wind-assisted propulsion)。

which puts a modern twist on an old idea of harnessing wind.

此系統改良了一項利用風能的舊技術。

One cargo ship I sailed on in the North Sea

我曾搭乘一艘貨輪航行於北海，

uses devices called "rotor sails."

該船使用旋筒風帆(rotor sail)產生動力。

These are 60-foot-tall tubes

旋筒風帆是60英尺高的滾筒，

that spin around like hyperactive barber's poles,

像轉得太快的理髮廳三色滾筒般 不停旋轉，

which produces a forward thrust

藉此產生向前的推力，

and reduces demand on the diesel engines.

能夠減輕柴油引擎的負擔。

It's really exciting to see these things whip around,

親眼見到旋筒轉動令我十分興奮，

but it's funny how almost blasé the crew was about the whole thing.

但有趣的是船員們毫不稀罕的反應。

They push a button,

他們按下按鈕，

the tubes swirl to life, the ships saves fuel,

旋筒便轉動起來，替船隻省油，

and they can all carry on with their normal tasks,

接著船員們就回去執行本分內的任務了。

as we sailed from Rotterdam

這景象持續了整趟旅程，

to this industrial eyesore in northern England,

從鹿特丹到北英格蘭一座有礙觀瞻的工業城

and back again.

都是如此。

Meanwhile, of course,

當然，

I spent my time admiring the sails,

與此同時，我欣賞著旋筒風帆，

and then curling up in the fetal position as the sea knocked our ship around.

並在海浪將船搖得東倒西歪時， 蜷縮著彷彿胎兒般。

The maritime industry is at a pivotal moment

航運業正處在其歷史的

in its long and storied history.

一個關鍵時刻。

Over the last few centuries,

過去的數百年間，

fossil fuels have powered the freighters that have transformed global trade,

石化燃料推動的貨輪 改變了國際貿易的樣貌，

connecting cotton fields to far-flung garment factories

將棉花田與千里以外的成衣廠連結起來，

and bringing blueberries from one side of the equator to the other.

並將藍莓從赤道的一端運送到另一端。

Coal-powered steamships made it possible to travel farther and faster,

煤炭驅動的蒸汽船 讓更遠更快的航行成為可能，

and diesel engines took this into overdrive.

而柴油引擎更是把盛況推向超載。

What began in the early 20th century as a humble canal boat

西元20世紀初，

puttering along with this tiny engine

只靠著小小引擎穩步向前的簡陋貨船，

has since become giant container ships

現在已搖身一變成為巨大貨輪，

that stretch as long as skyscrapers stand tall.

長度能跟摩天大樓的高度相比擬。

We know that to keep the planet from warming further,

我們知道，要阻止地球繼續暖化下去，

we must completely transform the way that we power our homes, our cars

供應我們的房屋、汽車 與載送珍貴物品的貨輪

and the freighters that bring us all our precious stuff.

所需電力的方式，必須完全不同。

The shipping industry must join the rest of the world

航運業必須與世界攜手

in addressing climate change,

設法解決氣候變遷。

and it could do that with the help of green ammonia.

綠色氨氣，便是其應變之道。

Thank you so much.

謝謝。

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)