新研究发现：欧洲光靠风力发电就能为全球供电

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.

一项新研究指出，在利用可再生风能方面，欧盟甚至都没有充分发挥其潜力。

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，如果在每一个合适的地点安置风力涡轮机，所产生的风能可能是目前陆上产生风能的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多万台风力涡轮机的话，据此推算，产生的风能从现在起将足以为全球提供能源至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.

“当然，我们并不是说应该在所有确定的地点安装涡轮机，”苏塞克斯大学能源政策专家本杰明·索瓦库尔说道。

"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 ."

“但该研究确实指出，如果我们要避免气候灾难的话，则需要利用欧洲潜在的巨大风能。”

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.

目前欧盟是风能输出的领袖，其陆上和海上的涡轮机一起提供了全球风能总量的近三分之一。欧盟委员会承诺，到2050年，至少更新或增加10万多台风力涡轮机。

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

但新的发现把其潜能的上限推得更高，这甚至还排除了海上风电场。

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?

研究人员利用先进的风力地图册系统一个国家一个国家地测算，力求回答一个重要的问题：欧洲的风能潜力有多大？

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.

考虑到基础设施、建造区域以及保护区，作者发现46%的欧洲地区有风速最佳的合适土地。

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

那几乎有500万平方公里，接近500兆焦耳的能量，比全球2050年需要的风能还多近70兆焦耳。

（翻译：Dlacus）