大力發展新能源 毛里求斯用甘蔗渣發電

Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean over 700 miles from the coast of Madagascar, is working to get rid of fossil fuels by replacing them with sugar.

毛里求斯是印度洋上的一個島國，距離馬達加斯加海岸700多英里，該國正在努力用糖取代化石燃料。

The island has historically relied on imported petroleum as fuel but is finding that their main cash-crop is providing a reliable, more economical option.

這個島國一直依賴進口石油作爲燃料，但現在他們發現，其主要經濟作物提供了一種可靠、更經濟的選擇。

Once a sugar cane stalk has been squeezed of all the juice used in sugar production, a pile of dry, pulpy sticks and stalks remain.

當甘蔗莖杆榨乾用於製糖的所有汁液後，就會剩下一堆幹爛的莖渣。

These leftovers -- known as bagasse -- are then burned to generate power, and already accounts for 14 percent of the island's energy needs.

這些被稱爲甘蔗渣的剩餘物，在燃燒後用來發電，提供了該島國14%的能源需求。

After factoring in the area's solar, wind and hydro capabilities, nearly a quarter of Mauritius' daily consumption are provided by renewable resources

考慮到該地區的太陽能、風能和水力發電能力後，毛里求斯近四分之一的日常能耗由可再生資源提供。

And the government hopes that 35 percent of the island will run on renewable sources by 2025.

該國政府希望到2025年，島上35%的地方將使用可再生能源。

"The 35 percent is not far off. We will have 11 solar parks by next year and at least two wind farms," Ivan Collendavello, Mauritius' deputy prime minister, told the Agence France-Press (AFP).

毛里求斯副總理伊萬·科倫達韋洛向法新社透露：“35%的目標已經不遠了。到明年，我們將擁有11個太陽能發電區，以及至少兩個風力發電廠。”

But sugar, the nation's main cash crop, is expected to continue leading the charge towards a more environmentally friendly future.

但是作爲這個國家主要經濟作物的糖，預計將繼續引領電能源朝着更加環保的未來前進。

Currently, four of the island's sugar companies run their own thermal power station -- together generating up to 60 percent of the island's electricity.

目前，島上四家糖業公司經營着他們自己的熱電站，一起供應島上60%的電力。

At each plant, the bagasse stalks are fed into the thermal stations, where they burn up at 932 degrees Fahrenheit and are used to fuel both the plants themselves as well as the national grid.

每個糖廠的的甘蔗渣稈被送入熱電站，在那裏它們在華氏932度下燃燒，爲電廠和國家電網提供燃料。

"Electricity is available 24 hours a day, on demand, without having to wait for the wind or the sun," Jacques D'Unienville, a manager at Omincane, one of Mauritius' sugar companies, told AFP. "Since we can store bagasse as we would oil and coal."

毛里求斯奧米坎糖業公司的經理雅克·德·尤寧維爾向法新社透露：“每天24小時隨時供電，無需等待風或太陽。因爲我們可以像儲存石油和煤炭那樣儲存甘蔗渣。”