Technicians have finished installing solar panels on the White House roof, capping a project that President Obama hopes will send a signal that renewable energy is feasible and environmentally shrewd. Obama said in 2010 that he would retrofit his family's new home with solar panels starting in 2011, then use the power generated to heat water for the first family and provide some electricity. But the project remained dark until late 2013, when the installation finally started. Obama wants to use his personal example to spur families and businesses to do more to reduce reliance on foreign energy and cut emissions blamed for global warming. "Solar panels at the White House are a really important message that solar is here, we are doing it, we can do a lot more," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a video released by the White House. The solar components, converters and the labor to install the panels were all domestic, according to the White House, which declined to name any of the companies involved in the project. The panels are expected to generate 6.3 kilowatts of solar power whenever the sun shines, the White House said. "Being at the White House, we do have some security concerns. We can't cover the entire roof, although that would be good from an energy savings standpoint," said James Doherty, the White House usher. For some climate change activists, the years of delay underscored a lack of urgency. Bill McKibben of the environmental group 350.org said the project was symbolically significant, but also depressingly protracted. "At this pace, we'll solve global warming right about the time that we're 30 feet under water," McKibben said in an interview. Obama isn't the first president to deploy solar at the White House. President Jimmy Carter spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices in the late 1970s, but his successor, Ronald Reagan, tossed the panels after he moved in. President George W. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, plus provided heated water for the pool.
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據(jù)美聯(lián)社5月10日?qǐng)?bào)道,白宮屋頂太陽(yáng)能電池板安裝工程已經(jīng)完工,美國(guó)總統(tǒng)奧巴馬希望能借此宣傳可再生能源的切實(shí)可行和環(huán)保性。 奧巴馬2010年就曾表示要在2011年給白宮安裝太陽(yáng)能板,利用太陽(yáng)能為第一家庭供應(yīng)熱水和部分電力。不過(guò),自此以后太陽(yáng)能安裝工程就遲遲沒(méi)有下文,直到2013年后期才最終開(kāi)始啟動(dòng)。 奧巴馬希望以自己為榜樣,激勵(lì)美國(guó)家庭和企業(yè)采取更多措施減少對(duì)國(guó)外能源的依賴,并降低碳排放——全球變暖的罪魁禍?zhǔn)?。在白宮發(fā)布的一則視頻中,美國(guó)能源部長(zhǎng)歐內(nèi)斯特?莫尼茲說(shuō):“白宮的太陽(yáng)能電池板釋放了非常重要的信息,這里在用太陽(yáng)能,我們正在這么做,而且還能做更多?!?/p> 白宮稱,太陽(yáng)能板組件、轉(zhuǎn)換器和安裝人員均來(lái)自美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi),但拒絕透露任何參與工程的公司名字。 白宮預(yù)計(jì)安裝的太陽(yáng)能系統(tǒng)規(guī)模為6.3千瓦,但表示出于安全和其他考慮,不便透露安裝太陽(yáng)能板的總數(shù)和具體費(fèi)用?!坝捎谠诎讓m,我們的確有一些安全擔(dān)憂。我們不能將整個(gè)屋頂都覆蓋太陽(yáng)能,盡管從節(jié)約能源的角度看這十分應(yīng)該。”白宮管家詹姆斯?多爾蒂說(shuō)。 不過(guò),白宮太陽(yáng)能板工程的蝸牛般施工進(jìn)度讓熱心氣候變化的人士認(rèn)為缺乏緊迫感。環(huán)保組織“350.org”的創(chuàng)始人比爾?麥吉本表示白宮此舉象征意義重大,但對(duì)施工拖延數(shù)年感到不悅。“以這樣的速度,恐怕當(dāng)解決全球變暖問(wèn)題的時(shí)候,我們已經(jīng)在水下30英尺了?!?/p> 奧巴馬并非首位在白宮安裝太陽(yáng)能電池板的總統(tǒng)。上世紀(jì)70年代末石油危機(jī)爆發(fā),時(shí)任美國(guó)總統(tǒng)吉米?卡特曾花3萬(wàn)美元在白宮西翼的辦公室加裝太陽(yáng)能加熱水系統(tǒng)。但其繼任者羅納德?里根入住白宮時(shí)拆除了這些太陽(yáng)能板。此外,美國(guó)總統(tǒng)布什也在白宮實(shí)施過(guò)太陽(yáng)能項(xiàng)目,曾用太陽(yáng)能給部分建筑物供電及給游泳池供熱水。 (譯者 聞竹 編輯 王輝) 掃一掃,關(guān)注微博微信
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