新研究發現：歐洲光靠風力發電就能爲全球供電

When it comes to harnessing renewable wind energy, the European Union is not even close to reaching its full potential, according to a new study.

一項新研究指出，在利用可再生風能方面，歐盟甚至都沒有充分發揮其潛力。

If a wind turbine was placed on every suitable spot of land, research shows it could provide more than 100 times the wind energy currently produced on shore.

研究表明，如果在每一個合適的地點安置風力渦輪機，所產生的風能可能是目前陸上產生風能的100多倍。

Calculated at more than 11 million additional turbines, that would be enough to power the entire world between now and 2050.

如果再有1100多萬颱風力渦輪機的話，據此推算，產生的風能從現在起將足以爲全球提供能源至2050年。

"Obviously, we are not saying that we should install turbines in all the identified sites," says Benjamin Sovacool, an expert in energy policy at the University of Sussex.

“當然，我們並不是說應該在所有確定的地點安裝渦輪機，”蘇塞克斯大學能源政策專家本傑明·索瓦庫爾說道。

"But the study does show the huge wind power potential right across Europe which needs to be harnessed if we're to avert a climate catastrophe ."

“但該研究確實指出，如果我們要避免氣候災難的話，則需要利用歐洲潛在的巨大風能。”

Today, the EU is a leader in wind energy output, and together its onshore and offshore turbines make up nearly a third of the world's total wind capacity. The European Commission has promised that by 2050, at least 100,000 more wind turbines will be either updated or added.

目前歐盟是風能輸出的領袖，其陸上和海上的渦輪機一起提供了全球風能總量的近三分之一。歐盟委員會承諾，到2050年，至少更新或增加10萬多臺風力渦輪機。

But the new findings push the potential ceiling much higher, even when excluding offshore wind farms.

但新的發現把其潛能的上限推得更高，這甚至還排除了海上風電場。

Going nation by nation, and using an advanced system of wind atlases , researchers sought to answer one critical question: How much wind power potential does Europe have?

研究人員利用先進的風力地圖冊系統一個國家一個國家地測算，力求回答一個重要的問題：歐洲的風能潛力有多大？

Taking into account infrastructure, built up areas, and protected areas, the authors found suitable lands with favourable wind speeds in 46 percent of Europe's territory.

考慮到基礎設施、建造區域以及保護區，作者發現46%的歐洲地區有風速最佳的合適土地。

That's almost 5 million square kilometres, and nearly 500 exajoules of power - about 70 more exajoules than the world will need in 2050.

那幾乎有500萬平方公里，接近500兆焦耳的能量，比全球2050年需要的風能還多近70兆焦耳。

（翻譯：Dlacus）