美国太阳能农场让饥饿的羊群上岗工作
📖 逐句对照翻译
A group of sheep on farmland in the American state of Texas work together to complete a job: eating the grass growing beneath hundreds of solar panels.
在美国得克萨斯州的农田里，一群羊齐心协力完成一项任务：吃掉数百块太阳能电池板下生长的草。
Sheep have become a symbol of a growing solar industry as large-scale solar farms appear across the United States.
随着大型太阳能农场在美国各地涌现，羊已成为太阳能产业不断发展的象征。
Solar grazing
太阳能放牧
In Milam County, Texas, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country.
在得克萨斯州米拉姆县，SB Energy运营着全国第五大太阳能项目。
It can produce 900 megawatts of power across 1,618 hectares.
它可以在1618公顷的土地上产生900兆瓦的电力。
So, how does the company deal with all the grass that grows on such a large piece of land?
那么，公司是如何处理这么大一片土地上生长的所有草的呢？
It deploys about 3,000 sheep that keep the grass cover low.
它部署了大约3000只羊，保持草地覆盖度较低。
Sheep, unlike devices such as lawnmowers, can fit between small spaces and work in all kinds of weather conditions.
绵羊与割草机等设备不同，它们能穿梭于狭小空间，且在各种天气条件下都能工作。
The work of the sheep, and sometimes other animals, is called solar grazing.
羊群以及其他动物的工作被称为太阳能放牧。
It is considered part of the larger idea of agrivoltaics --- the use of land for both solar energy production and agriculture.
这被视为农业光伏这一更宏大理念的一部分——即土地既用于太阳能生产，又用于农业。
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that solar grazing may help the environment in several ways.
美国农业部提出，太阳能放牧可能在多方面有助于环境保护。
These include making grassy areas safer for wild animals, like nesting ground birds, and by reducing fuel use and air pollution.
这些措施包括为野生动物（如在地面筑巢的鸟类）营造更安全的草地环境，以及减少燃料消耗和空气污染。
Agrivoltaics is on the rise with more than 60 solar grazing projects in the U.S., the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says.
美国国家可再生能源实验室表示，随着美国有60多个太阳能放牧项目，农业光伏正在兴起。
The American Solar Grazing Association says 27 states take part in solar grazing.
美国太阳能放牧协会表示，有27个州参与了太阳能放牧。
A sunny opportunity
一个阳光明媚的机会
Putting the animals to work on solar fields also provides some help to the sheep and wool market, which has struggled in recent years.
让动物在太阳能电场工作也为近年来举步维艰的绵羊和羊毛市场提供了一些帮助。
The number of sheep and lambs in Texas fell to 655,000 in January 2024, a 4 percent drop from the year before.
2024年1月，得克萨斯州的绵羊和羔羊数量降至65.5万只，比上年下降了4%。
That information comes from the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
该信息来自美国农业部的最新数据。
Because solar fields use sunny, flat land that is often good for animals to eat grass on, the power plants have been used in cooperation with farmers rather than against them.
由于太阳能电场利用的是阳光充足、地势平坦且通常适合动物吃草的土地，这些发电厂一直与农民合作，而非与他们对立。
Sheep farmer JR Howard accidentally found himself in the middle of Texas’ move to clean energy.
羊农JR·霍华德意外地发现自己置身于得克萨斯州向清洁能源转型的浪潮之中。
In 2021, he and his family began working with solar farms.
2021年，他和家人开始与太阳能农场合作。
Howard’s sheep ate the grass on these large areas of land.
霍华德的羊在这些大片土地上吃草。
What was once a small business has turned into a larger operation with more than 8,000 sheep and 26 employees.
曾经的小本生意已经发展成了拥有8000多只羊和26名员工的大规模经营。
“Just the growth has been kind of crazy for us,” said Howard, who named his company Texas Solar Sheep.
霍华德说：“对我们来说，增长简直太疯狂了。”他的公司名为得克萨斯太阳能羊。
“It’s been great for me and my family.”
这对我和我的家人来说都很棒。
Following the herd
随大流
Some agriculture experts say Howard’s success shows how solar farms have become a big help for some ranchers.
一些农业专家表示，霍华德的成功表明太阳能农场已经成为一些牧场主的一大助力。
Reid Redden is a sheep farmer and solar vegetation manager in San Angelo, Texas.
里德·雷登是德克萨斯州圣安吉洛的一位牧羊人和太阳能植被管理者。
Redden said a successful sheep business requires agricultural land that has become increasingly hard to find.
雷登表示，成功的养羊业需要农业用地，而这种土地已变得越来越难找到。
“Solar grazing is probably the biggest opportunity that the sheep industry had in the United States in several generations,” Redden said.
雷登说：“太阳能放牧可能是美国养羊业几代人以来最大的机遇。”
Redden suggested that people in the rural communities near where he raises sheep have been very positive about solar grazing.
雷登表示，在他养羊附近的农村社区里，人们对太阳能放牧非常支持。
Agrivoltaics itself is not new.
农光互补本身并不新鲜。
Solar farms use a lot of land and require a lot of space that could be used for food production.
太阳能农场占用大量土地，需要广阔的空间，而这些空间本可以用于粮食生产。
Agrivoltaics helps with the problem by permitting the two industries to coexist, whether growing food or caring for livestock.
农业光伏通过允许两种产业共存来解决这一问题，无论是种植粮食还是饲养牲畜。
There is a lot still unknown about the full effects of solar grazing, said Nuria Gomez-Casanovas of Texas A&M University.
德克萨斯农工大学的努里亚·戈麦斯-卡萨诺瓦斯表示，关于太阳能放牧的全面影响，仍有许多未知之处。
Not enough studies have been done to know the long-term environmental effects, such as how good the soil will be for future agriculture.
目前还没有足够的研究来了解长期的环境影响，例如土壤对未来农业的适宜程度。
However, Gomez-Casanovas suspects solar grazing may improve sheep productivity.
然而，戈麦斯-卡萨诺瓦斯怀疑太阳能放牧可能会提高绵羊的生产力。
“We really have more questions than answers,” Gomez-Casanovas said.
戈麦斯-卡萨诺瓦斯说：“我们的问题真的比答案还多。”
I’m John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
Nadia Lathan reported on this story for the Associated Press.
纳迪亚·拉森为美联社报道了这一事件。
John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
约翰·拉塞尔为VOA英语学习频道改编了它。
