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Text 7. Solar Energy
We have always used the energy of the sun as far back as humans have existed on this planet. We know today, that the sun is simply our nearest star. Without it, life would not exist on our planet. Plants use the sun’s light to make food. Animals eat plants for food. Decaying plants hundreds of millions of years ago produced the coal, oil and natural gas that we use today. So, fossil fuel is actually sunlight stored millions and millions of years ago.
Indirectly, the sun or other stars are responsible for ALL our energy. Even nuclear energy comes from a star because the uranium atoms used in nuclear energy were created in the fury of a nova – a star exploding.
Let’s look at ways in which we can use the sun’s energy. In the 1890s solar water heaters were being used to be a big improvement over wood and coal-burning stoves. Artificial gas made from coal was available too to heat water, but it cost 10 times the price we pay for natural gas today. And electricity was even more expensive if you even had any in your town.
By then, however, large deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered. As these low cost fuels became available, solar water systems began to be replaced with heaters burning fossil fuels.
Today, solar water heaters heat water for use inside homes and businesses. They also heat swimming pools. Panels of the roof of a building contain water pipes. When the sun hits the panels and the pipes, the sunlight warms them. That warmed water can then be used in a swimming pool. Solar energy can also be used to make electricity. Some solar power plants use a highly curved mirror called a parabolic trough to focus the sunlight on a pipe running down a central point above the curve of the mirror. The mirror focuses the sunlight to strike the pipe, and it gets so hot that it can boil water into steam. That steam can then be used to turn a turbine to make electricity.
The problem with solar energy is that it works only when the sun is shining. So, on cloudy days and at night, the power plants can’t create energy. Some solar plants are a ‘hybrid’ technology. During the daytime they use the sun. At night and on cloudy days they burn natural gas to boil the water so they can continue to make electricity.
Another form of solar power plants to make electricity is called a Central Tower Power Plant. Sunlight is reflected of 1,800 mirrors circling the tall tower. The mirrors are called heliostats and move and turn to face the sun all days long. The light is reflected back to the top of the tower in the center of the circle where a fluid is turned very hot by the sun’s rays. That fluid can be used to boil water to make steam to turn a turbine and a generator. This experimental power plant is called Solar II. It was re-built in California’s desert using newer technologies than when it was first built in the early 1980’s. Solar II will use the sunlight to change heat into mechanical energy in the turbine. The power plant will make enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes. Scientists say larger central tower power plants can make electricity for 100,000 to 200,000 homes.
Exercise 71. Translate the following universal words without a dictionary.
Technology, heliostat, gas, hybrid, problem, energy, million, parabolic, focus.
Exercise 72. Determine the parts of speech of the following words and translate them. Define the affixes, if any.
Nearest, water, tower, newer, larger, power, sunlight, parabolic, central, highly, daytime, natural, re-built, early, mechanical, scientist, heater.
Exercise 73. Match the English terms in the left column with their Ukrainian equivalents in the right column.
| a) fossil fuel b) solar water heater c) water steam d) Central Tower Power Plant e) Solar power plant f) mechanical energy g) nuclear energy i) parabolic trough | 1) водяна пара 2) електростанція, що працює на сонячній енергії 3) механічна енергія 4) водяний обігрівач, що використовує енергію сонця 5) паливо, що утворилось з решток рослин 6) атомна енергія 7) параболічний жолоб 8) електростанція, що має центральну вежу прийому сонячної енергії |
Exercise 74. Match the synonymous words and word combinations.
| 1) solar power 2) warmth 3) highly curved mirror 4) hit 5) fossil fuel 6) create energy | a) parabolic trough b) sun’s energy c) heat d) make power e) strike f) natural gas |
Exercise 75. These words are used both as verbs and as nouns. Translate the pairs. Make up sentences with them.
To heat – heat, to power – power, to use – use, to hit – hit, to strike – strike, to focus – focus, to cost – cost, to plant – plant, to produce – produce, to pay – pay, to deposit – deposit, to curve – curve, to point – point, to turn – turn, to circle – circle, to face – face.
Exercise 76. Translate and comment upon the following grammar forms.
Have used the energy; can be used to make electricity; focuses the sunlight; called a parabolic trough; produced the coal, oil and natural gas; can’t create energy; are called heliostats; was re-built in desert; using newer technologies; to change into mechanical energy; to power homes.
Exercise 77. Match the definitions in the left column with the terms in the right column.
| 1. The coal, oil and natural gas produced by decaying plants | a) heliostats |
| 2. Heaters to heat water by the sun’s rays | b) Central Tower Power Plant |
| 3. A highly curved mirror to focus the sunlight to strike the pipe and boil water into steam | c) fossil fuels |
| 4. Solar plants that can create energy round the clock | d) solar water heaters |
| 5. A solar power plant with the tall tower in the centre of the circle of mirrors using sunlight | e) ‘hybrid’ technology solar plants |
| 6. Mirrors circling the tall tower to reflect the light to the top of tower | f) parabolic trough |
Exercise 78. Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
1. … … - oil, coal and natural gas is actually sunlight stored millions and millions of years ago.
a) renewable energy
b) fossil fuels
c) alternative energy
2. … … being used in the 1890’s are making a comeback to heat water for use inside homes and businesses, swimming pools.
a) wood-burning stoves
b) coal-burning stoves
c) solar water heaters
3. Solar power plants use … … to make electricity.
a) kinetic energy of moving water
b) heat energy
c) chemical energy
4. Some solar power plants use … … … to get the pipe so hot it can boil water into steam.
a) coal-burning stove
b) curved mirror
c) gas-burning stove
5. A parabolic trough … … to boil water into steam.
a) focuses the sunlight
b) uses the kinetic energy
c) uses temperature differences
6. A ‘hybrid’ technology solar plants can create energy … … .
a) when the sun is shining
b) during the daytime
c) round the clock
7. A Central Tower Power Plant uses sunlight reflected off … circling the tall tower.
a) parabolic trough
b) heliostats
c) reservoir
Exercise 79. The following questions on the text have been jumbled. Arrange them correctly and answer them.
| Model: to, energy, solar, does, energy, of, What, form, refer? – What form of energy does solar energy refer to? |
1. fossil, What, fuels, is?
2. water, heaters, solar, a, big, improvement, over, wood, coal-burning, and, stoves, Why, were?
3. heaters, water, solar, today, are, How, used?
4. is, solar, energy, used, What, for?
5. focuses, What, the, sunlight, boil, to, water, steam into?
6. steam, the, can, then, used, be, How?
7. power plants, solar, called, are, Tower, Power, Central, Plant, What, a?
8. it, does, work, How?
9. technologies, newer, use, sunlight, the, will, How?
10. capacity, Solar II, What, is?
Exercise 80. Memorize the following words and word combinations to text 8.
Outlet market – ринок збуту
vegetation (plantation) – рослинність
raw – необроблений
residue – залишки
straw – солома
wood chips – стружка
paper trash – макулатура
sawdust – тирса
livestock – поголів’я худоби
essentially – по суті
treatment – обробка
photosynthesis – фотосинтез
chemical bonds – хімічні зв’язки
ethane – етан
kelp – бурі водорості
yield – врожай; кількість виробленої продукції
available – придатний, корисний; наявний; доступний
welfare – добробут
income – прибуток, надходження
requirement – вимога
sustainably – постійно
manure – добриво
abundant resources – багаті запаси
starch – крохмаль
yeast – дріжджі
barley – ячмінь
decompose – розкладатися, гнити
digest – перетравлювати
harness – приборкувати, підкоряти, використовувати (стосовно енергії)
mound – вал, насип
fermentation – бродіння, ферментація
Exercise 81. Read the given text and select the key words and expressions for a five minute conversation with your partners on the following topic: “Can Biomass Satisfy All of Man’s Energy Demands Presently?”