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Japan and geothermal energyIn hot waterA venerable leisure industry is blocking energy development日本与地热能源陷入困境一个历史悠久的休闲产业正在阻碍能源发展

A centuries-old leisure industry is a powerful, but not inssurmountable, obstacleto progress拥有数百年历史的休闲产业很强大、但并不意味着强大障碍不可逾越[Paragraph 1]WHITE STEAM rises from the waters of Okuhida Onsengo in snowy northern Japan. Each year thousands of bathers from across the country travel to soak in these hot springs.

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白色蒸汽从日本北部白雪皑皑的奥飞达温泉乡的水域升起。每年都有成千上万的人从全国各地来到这里泡温泉。

Down the road, meanwhile, the spring’s underground reservoirs are being put to a new use: last December the Nakao Geothermal Power Plant began using steam from them to generate electricity.

与此同时，这条路上的温泉地下水库也有了新的用途：去年12月，中尾地热发电厂开始使用水库中的蒸汽发电。

With a maximum output of almost two megawatts (MW), the plant could supply electricity to 4,000 households.

该厂的最大输出功率接近2兆瓦（MW），可为4000户家庭供电。

[Paragraph 2]With over 100 active volcanoes, Japan is estimated to have a potential geothermal resource of 23 gigawatts, equivalent to the output of 23 nuclear reactors. 日本拥有100多座活火山，估计拥有 23 吉瓦的潜在地热资源，相当于23个核反应堆的输出功率。But the Nakao plant is a rarity—Japan has hardly developed its geothermal reserves. Geothermal energy accounts for just 0.3% of its electricity supply. 但是，中尾地热发电厂属于凤毛麟角--日本几乎没有开发地热储量。地热发电仅占其电力供应的0.3%。Japan holds the third-largest geothermal potential in the world, after America and Indonesia, but ranks tenth in terms of geothermal power generation. 日本的地热潜力在全世界排名第3，仅次于美国和印度尼西亚，但在地热发电方面却排名第10。For a country heavily dependent on imported energy and struggling to honour its commitment to decarbonise its economy by 2050, this represents a huge missed opportunity. 日本严重依赖进口能源，并在努力履行2050年前实现经济脱碳的承诺。对它来说，这是一个不容错过的机会。[Paragraph 3]Japan’s sprawling onsen(hot spring) industry is the main obstacle to geothermal development. 日本庞大的温泉产业是地热开发的主要障碍。Though many geologists reckon there is little chance of geothermal plants negatively affecting bathing pools (which are generally filled by much shallower aquifers than the geothermal reservoirs energy companies look for), the onsen industry is unconvinced. 尽管许多地质学家认为，地热厂对浴池产生负面影响的可能性很小（这些浴池所在的含水层通常由比能源公司寻找的地热储层浅得多），但温泉行业并不相信。“The government relies on hot springs for its tourism—what are they going to do if the hot springs disappear because they keep building geothermal power plants?” asks Sato Yoshiyasu of the Japan Onsen Association, a big industry group. 日本温泉协会（一个大型行业组织）的佐藤.义亚苏问道："政府依靠温泉来发展旅游业--要是他们不停地建地热发电厂，导致温泉消失怎么办呢？”Japan’s 3,000 hot-spring resorts routinely withhold the consent necessary for development to proceed. 日本有3000个温泉度假胜地总是不同意地热开发。And the fact that they are deeply rooted in Japanese culture, and attract around 130m visitors a year, has largely deterredthe government from pushing back. 而且温泉深深植根于日本文化，每年约吸引1.3亿游客，这一事实在很大程度上阻止了政府的打压政策。[Paragraph 4]There are other obstacles to geothermal development. Some 80% of Japan’s reserves are in national parks. 地热开发还有其他障碍。日本约80%的地热储备都在国家公园内。Much of Japan is mountainous. Its underground geology is relatively complex, with layers of hard rock that are difficult to drill through. 日本大部分地区是多山地形。地下地质较为复杂，岩层坚硬，钻井难度大。Whereas countries such as Indonesia that produce a lot of geothermal power often have relatively large, well-connected power stations, Japan’s tend to be small and scattered. 印度尼西亚等大量地热发电的国家通常有相对较大的、连接良好的发电站，而日本的发电站往往规模小且分散。Geothermal in Japan is “promising” but requires “diligent effort”, says Ehara Sachio of the Institute for Geothermal Information, a think-tank near Tokyo.东京附近的智库“地热信息研究所”的埃哈拉·萨基奥说，日本地热发电产业 "前景光明"，但需要 "艰苦奋斗"。[Paragraph 5]With enough political will, none of these barriers is insurmountable, however, as Japan demonstrated in its response to the oil crisis of the 1970s. 然而，只要有足够的政治意愿，这些障碍都是浮云，日本成功战胜1970年代的石油危机就是很好的例证。Back then it launched an initiative, known as the “Sunshine Project”, to promote alternative energy sources, including solar, hydrogen and geothermal. 当时，它发起了一项被名为 "阳光工程 "的倡议，以推广替代能源，包括太阳能、氢能和地热能。The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), a government institution established in 1980, conducted a nationwide assessment of geothermal potential. 新能源和工业技术开发组织 (NEDO) 是一个成立于 1980 年的政府机构，它对全国范围内的地热潜力进行了评估。By the late 1990s, dozens of geothermal power stations were built across the country, adding over 500MW of generating capacity.到1990年代末，全国各地建立了数十座地热发电站，新增发电量超过500兆瓦。[Paragraph 6]As oil prices stabilised and more nuclear power stations came online, Japan’s spurtof enthusiasm for geothermal petered out. 随着石油价格稳定和更多核电站投入使用，日本对地热发电的热情逐渐减退。But the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, which turned public opinion against nuclear power, has brought another spurt. 但 2011 年福岛核电站熔毁导致公众舆论反对核能，这给地热发电带来了另一波热度。Japan now hopes to triple geothermal output by 2030. Businesses and local governments are considering more than 50 possible sites to build new geothermal power plants.现在日本希望到2030年地热产量能提高2倍。企业和地方政府正考虑在50多个可能地点新建地热发电站。[Paragraph 7]To that end, the government is eyeing next-generation technology. 为了达到这个目标，政府正在关注下一代的技术。Japan and America recently signed an agreement to collaborate on geothermal projects, including on research for supercriticalgeothermal—which involves drilling deep wells to access ultra-hot fluids. 日本和美国最近签署了一项地热项目合作协议，包括超临界地热研究--这涉及钻深井获取超热流体。Mr Ehara reckons such advanced technologies could ensure geothermal provides more than 10% of Japan’s energy. (America is aiming to get 8.5% of its electricity generation from geothermal by 2050.)埃哈拉先生认为，这种先进技术可以确保地热发电占日本总发电10%以上。(美国的目标是到2050年地热发电占比8.5%）。[Paragraph 8]In the short run, conventional geothermal plants remain a better way to reduce Japan’s carbon emissions. Developing them is becoming slightly easier. 从短期来看，传统地热发电仍然是日本减少碳排放的良方。开发地热也逐渐变得容易起来。The timeline for environmental assessments was recently shortened from over a decade to eight years. The rules on developing national-park land were eased around a decade ago. 环境评估的时间期限最近由10多年缩短到8年。大约10年前，开发国家公园用地的规定也放宽了。Perhaps more promisingly, some geothermal-energy producers, such as Cenergy, which runs the plant at Nakao, are developing their own innovative ways to mollifythe objectors. 也许更有希望的是，一些地热能源生产商，例如在中尾经营工厂的Cenergy公司，正在用自己的独创方法来安抚反对者。[Paragraph 9]Hot water extracted at the plant is piped to the local onsen. The two parties enjoy a “win-win” situation, says Uchino Masamitsu, a local onsen owner. 从该厂提取的热水被输送到当地的温泉。当地温泉老板内野正光说，双方享有 "双赢 "的结果。This co-operation appears to be sparking interest in using the hot waters in other ways, too. Some local householders are using their heat to grow tropical fruits such as bananas and dragon fruit.这种合作似乎也激发了人们研究热水另其他用途的兴趣。 一些当地住户正在利用热量种植香蕉和火龙果等热带水果。“Geothermal,” sighs Mr Uchino, “opens up so many dreams.”内野先生感叹道："地热开启了许多梦想。”（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量773左右）原文出自：2023年6月3日《The Economist》Asia版块精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路

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【补充资料】（来自于网络）地热能Geothermal Energy是指地球内部的热量能够被用于发电和供暖等方面。日本是全球最富有地热资源的国家之一，拥有约10%的全球地热发电容量。日本的地热资源主要分布在火山地区，包括北海道、东北、东海、关东和九州等地。日本政府借助这种丰富的资源，积极推动了地热能源的开发和利用，以减少对化石燃料的依赖，促进可持续发展。同时，地热能源还被广泛用于日本的温泉设施（onsen），提供一种独特的旅游体。日本的温泉onsen分为多种不同类型，包括硫磺泉、铁泉、碳酸氢盐泉、氯化物泉等。每种温泉都有其特定的功效和治疗作用，例如硫磺泉可以治疗皮肤病和神经痛，铁泉可以帮助缓解贫血和疲劳等。温泉被广泛地应用于旅游、康养、医疗和美容等领域。日本的温泉旅游非常受欢迎，每年吸引了大量的国内外游客。从温泉酒店到温泉旅馆，从温泉浴场到温泉主题公园，日本的温泉产业形态多样，各种类型的温泉设施也是应有尽有。日本温泉产业是世界上最为发达的温泉产业之一。超热流体Ultra-hot fluids是指地球深部高温高压环境下的热液体，温度通常高达400°C以上，压力也很高。这种流体常见于火山地区的深部，其中含有大量的矿物质和有机物质，具有很高的化学反应性和热能量因此，超热流体被认为是一种重要的地热资源，可以用于发电、供热和其他工业用途。此外，超热流体还可以用于实验室研究，研究热化学反应和地球内部的物质循环过程，有助于深入了解地球的内部结构和动力学。【重点句子】（3个）Japan holds the third-largest geothermal potential in the world, after America and Indonesia, but ranks tenth in terms of geothermal power generation. 日本的地热潜力在全世界排名第3，仅次于美国和印度尼西亚，但在地热发电方面却排名第10。Japan’s 3,000 hot-spring resorts routinely withhold the consent necessary for development to proceed. 日本有3000个温泉度假胜地总是不同意地热开发。With enough political will, none of these barriers is insurmountable, however, as Japan demonstrated in its response to the oil crisis of the 1970s. 然而，只要有足够的政治意愿，这些障碍都是浮云，日本成功战胜1970年代的石油危机就是很好的例证。