首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Solar Decathlon is under way, and teams of students from 14 colleges and universities are building solar-powered homes on th
The Solar Decathlon is under way, and teams of students from 14 colleges and universities are building solar-powered homes on th
admin
2013-01-28
26
问题
The Solar Decathlon is under way, and teams of students from 14 colleges and universities are building solar-powered homes on the National Mall in Washington, D. C. in an effort to promote this alternative energy source. This week judges in this Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored event will evaluate these homes and declare one the winner. Unfortunately, for the participants, it rained on the Sept 26th opening ceremonies, and the skies over the Washington have remained mostly overcast since. However, the conditions may have made for a more revealing demonstration of solar energy than was originally planned.
Although the Solar Decathlon’s purpose is to advertise the benefits of electricity-generating solar panels and other residential solar gadgets, the bad weather has made it hard to ignore the limitations. As fate so amply demonstrated, not every day is a sunny day, and indeed DOE’s "Solar Village on the National Mall" has received very little of what it needs to run.
Since solar is not an always available energy source, even a community consisting entirely of solar homes and businesses would still need to be connected to a constantly-running power plant (most likely natural gas or coal fired) to provide reliable electricity. For this reason, the fossil fuel savings and environmental benefits of solar are considerably smaller than many proponents suggest.
Washington, D. C. gets its share of sunny days as well, but even so, solar equipment provides only a modest amount of energy in relation to its cost. In fact, a $ 5, 000 rooftop photovoltaic system typically generates no more than $100 of electricity per year, providing a rate of return comparable to a passbook savings account.
Nor do the costs end when the system is installed, lake anything exposed to the elements, solar equipment is subject to wear and storm damage, and may need ongoing maintenance and repairs. In addition, the materials that turn sunlight into electricity degrade over time. Thus, solar panels will eventually need to be replaced, most likely before the investment has fully paid itself off in the form of reduced utility bills.
Solar energy has always had its share of true believers willing to pay extra to feel good about their homes and themselves. But for homeowners who view it as an investment, it is not a good one. The economic realities are rarely acknowledged by the government officials and solar equipment manufacturers involved in the Solar Decathlon and similarly one-sided promotions. By failing to be objective, the pro-solar crowd does consumers a real disservice.
The Solar Decathlon is most probably the name of a ______.
选项
A、technology
B、contest
C、strategy
D、machine
答案
B
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Nw1O777K
0
考博英语
相关试题推荐
Proponentsofcreatinglargeprivatesectorsasquicklyaspossibleintransitioneconomiesofferbothpoliticalandeconomicar
Proponentsofcreatinglargeprivatesectorsasquicklyaspossibleintransitioneconomiesofferbothpoliticalandeconomicar
Accordingtothe28thannualsurveyofcollegefreshmenconductedbytheAmericanCouncilonEducationandUCLA(UniversityofC
Eighttimeswithinthepastmillionyears,somethingintheEarth’sclimaticequationhaschanged,allowingsnowinthemountain
Eighttimeswithinthepastmillionyears,somethingintheEarth’sclimaticequationhaschanged,allowingsnowinthemountain
Intelligentreadersknowatoncehow______weare,andhowskeptical,howfirmforothersandhowdiffidentaboutourselves.
Notable’asimportantnineteenth-centurynovelsbywomen,MaryShelley’sFrankensteinandEmilyBronte’sWutheringHeightstreat
Scholarsandstudentshavealwaysbeengreattravellers.Theofficialcasefor"academicmobility"isnowoftenstatedinimpres
Scholarsandstudentshavealwaysbeengreattravellers.Theofficialcasefor"academicmobility"isnowoftenstatedinimpres
Whatdotheextraordinarilysuccessfulcompanieshaveincommon?Tofindout,welookedforoperations.Weknowthatcorrelation
随机试题
开始先是作为有选择的参与者和观察员,然后不再是参与者的阶段是
A、急性刺激性干咳B、长期晨间咳嗽C、带喉音的咳嗽D、阵发性干咳、咯血E、咳嗽、咳脓臭痰肺癌可出现
患儿女,1岁,多汗,睡眠不安。查体:可见枕秃、方颅和肋缘外翻。X线检查长骨钙化带消失,干骺端呈毛刷样、杯口状改变,骨骺软骨带增宽,骨密度减低。护士判断此患儿最可能患的是()
对实行定额备用金制度的企业,在账务处理上需设置“备用金”账户核算。()
在运输合同中,对货物毁损、灭失的赔偿额,当事人没有约定的,根据《中华人民共和国合同法》的规定,计算赔偿额的具体原则是()。
如何更好地开展课外音乐活动来发展提高学生们的音乐素养?
有下列二叉树,对此二叉树前序遍历的结果为()。
在考生文件夹下,已有一个数据库文件“sampl.accdb”,其中已建立“tGrade”和“tStudent”两个表对象,宏对象“mTest”和查询对象“qT”。试按以下操作要求,完成各种操作:设置“tStudent”表的“学号”字段为主键,设置“性别
Attentiontodetailissomethingeveryonecanandshouldpay—especiallyinatightjobmarket.BobCrossley,ahuman-resourcese
Beforethe20thcenturythehorseprovideddaytodaytransportationintheUnitedStates.Trainswereusedonlyforlong-distan
最新回复
(
0
)