Solar generates more energy in US than coal for first time
Solar generates more energy in US than coal for first time
太阳能发电量首次在美国超过煤炭
A herd of sheep graze near solar panels in Saltillo, Texas. 一群羊在德克萨斯州萨尔蒂略的太阳能电池板附近吃草。
Solar supplied 12.8% of US electricity in May even as Trump boosts coal over clean energy. 尽管特朗普政府大力推崇煤炭而非清洁能源，但今年5月，太阳能仍供应了美国12.8%的电力。
Even as Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the US and remains the leading source of new power. 尽管唐纳德·特朗普大力推崇煤炭而非清洁能源，但太阳能在美国正不断达到新的里程碑，并保持着新增电力来源的领先地位。
Data released on Wednesday by the global energy thinktank Ember, along with a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (Seia) and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, show the continued growth of solar and decline of coal in the United States despite federal policy. 全球能源智库Ember周三发布的数据，以及太阳能工业协会（Seia）和分析公司Wood Mackenzie的一份报告显示，尽管联邦政策有所阻碍，但美国的太阳能仍在持续增长，而煤炭则在衰退。
In May, for the first time, solar supplied more of the nation’s electricity than coal, or 12.8%, Ember said. Coal supplied 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever. Ember表示，今年5月，太阳能供应的电力占比首次超过煤炭，达到12.8%。煤炭的供应占比为12.2%，这是其有史以来第四低的月度份额。
“For years solar power has risen in the US electricity mix,” said Nicolas Fulghum, senior energy and data analyst at Ember. “At the same time, coal power has lost its status, first as the largest source in the US mix, and then gradually over the years has fallen even further.” “多年来，太阳能在美国电力结构中的占比一直在上升，”Ember高级能源与数据分析师尼古拉斯·富尔格姆（Nicolas Fulghum）表示，“与此同时，煤电失去了其地位，先是失去了美国电力结构中最大来源的地位，随后多年来又逐渐进一步下滑。”
Solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the US in May, behind natural gas and nuclear, Fulghum said. Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low in April and rebounded only modestly in May, allowing increasing solar generation to overtake coal, he added. 富尔格姆说，5月份太阳能也成为了美国第三大电力来源，仅次于天然气和核能。他补充道，煤炭发电量在4月份创下历史月度新低，5月份仅有小幅反弹，这使得不断增长的太阳能发电量得以超越煤炭。
Electricity is produced by converting sources of energy – fossil fuels, renewable resources and nuclear – into electrical power. Burning coal, oil and natural gas for electricity emits carbon dioxide, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. By contrast, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and nuclear are carbon-free. 电力是通过将能源（化石燃料、可再生资源和核能）转化为电能而产生的。燃烧煤炭、石油和天然气发电会排放二氧化碳，将热量困在大气中并导致地球变暖。相比之下，太阳能、风能、地热能、水力发电和核能则是零碳排放的。
After about two decades of essentially flat electricity consumption in the US, electricity demand is increasing to power artificial intelligence, grow domestic manufacturing and electrify transportation and heating. Fulghum said he expected to see more months when solar exceeds coal generation, before overtaking it on an annual basis in a few years. 在经历了约二十年基本持平的电力消费后，随着人工智能的发展、国内制造业的增长以及交通和供暖的电气化，美国的电力需求正在增加。富尔格姆表示，他预计未来会有更多月份太阳能发电量超过煤炭，并在几年内实现年度发电量对煤炭的超越。
These milestones signify that solar “has staying power” at a time when there is less support for renewable energy at the federal level, he added. 他补充说，这些里程碑表明，在联邦层面可再生能源支持力度减弱的情况下，太阳能“具有持久的生命力”。
Wind and solar combined have overtaken coal in the past, and wind power alone has outpaced coal during spring months when wind speeds pick up. Ember gets its hourly and monthly data from the US Energy Information Administration. 风能和太阳能的总和在过去曾超过煤炭，而单是风力发电在风速加快的春季月份也曾超过煤炭。Ember的每小时和每月数据均来自美国能源信息署。
Globally, electricity generation from renewables is growing rapidly. Renewables will become the largest global energy source, used for almost 45% of electricity generation by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. 在全球范围内，可再生能源发电量正在迅速增长。根据国际能源署的数据，到2030年，可再生能源将成为全球最大的能源来源，用于近45%的电力生产。
Last week, Trump, a Republican, announced a plan to boost the struggling US coal industry by spending nearly $700m to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports. Trump said at a White House event that “coal’s a great business” and that “in terms of power, there’s really nothing like it”. 上周，共和党人特朗普宣布了一项计划，通过投入近7亿美元支持燃煤电厂和煤炭出口，以提振陷入困境的美国煤炭工业。特朗普在白宫的一次活动中表示，“煤炭是一项伟大的事业”，并且“在电力方面，确实没有什么能比得上它”。
Martin Pochtaruk, CEO and founder of Canadian-based solar panel manufacturer Heliene, said Trump can say that coal is coming back but investors will invest their money in whatever brings the best return. And for power generation that is solar, making it the fastest-growing fuel, he added. 总部位于加拿大的太阳能电池板制造商Heliene的首席执行官兼创始人马丁·波查鲁克（Martin Pochtaruk）表示，特朗普可以说煤炭正在回归，但投资者只会把钱投向回报率最高的地方。他补充说，在发电领域，那就是太阳能，这使其成为增长最快的能源。
A White House spokeswoman defended the Trump administration’s overall energy policies, saying they were geared toward strengthening the country’s security. 白宫发言人捍卫了特朗普政府的整体能源政策，称这些政策旨在加强国家安全。
“The President has reversed the Left’s devastating policies, saved the American coal industry, prevented the retirement of more than 17 gigawatts of power, and saved lives during heightened demand periods,” Taylor Rogers said in a statement. 泰勒·罗杰斯（Taylor Rogers）在一份声明中表示：“总统扭转了左派破坏性的政策，拯救了美国煤炭工业，阻止了超过17吉瓦电力的退役，并在需求高峰期挽救了生命。”
While Trump is trying to reverse the coal industry’s decline, solar has been the top source for new power for five years, Seia said. Seia and Wood Mackenzie said solar and battery storage were practically the only energy resources being built in the first quarter, making up 91% of all new generating capacity. Seia表示，尽管特朗普试图扭转煤炭工业的衰退，但太阳能已连续五年成为新增电力的主要来源。Seia和Wood Mackenzie表示，太阳能和电池储能实际上是第一季度仅有的在建能源项目，占所有新增发电能力的91%。
The Trump administration has canceled solar and wind projects, implemented policies that slowed clean energy permitting and development and terminated $7bn in funding intended for affordable solar energy projects across the US. 特朗普政府取消了太阳能和风能项目，实施了减缓清洁能源许可和开发的政策，并终止了旨在支持全美经济型太阳能项目的70亿美元资金。