New Light Bulb Offers Energy Efficiency

新型燈泡提高能效

Paul Malamud

保羅·馬拉默德

Washington-A newly-invented light bulb could offer significant energy savings-and better light-to future users worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

華盛頓——據美國能源部宣稱，一種新近發明的燈泡可能會使今后全世界的燈泡使用者大幅度地節約能源，并獲得更好的燈光。

On October 20 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it was"inaugurating the use" of the new kind of light bulb in experimental installations at its Forrestal Headquarters Building and at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

10月20日，美國能源部宣布，它正把它安裝在首都華盛頓的福雷斯特爾總部大樓以及史密森國家航空和航天博物館的試驗裝置上，作為一種新型燈泡“開始投入使用”。

The new lighting technology, DOE said in a written statement, is most likely to take the form of "high quality, high-efficiency illumination for large indoor or outdoor spaces" once it is made commercially available.

美國能源部在一份書面聲明中稱，這種新的照明技術，一旦投入商業生產，將很可能為“室內外寬闊場地提供高質量、高效率的照明”。

The new kind of artificial light consists of a bulb filled with inert gas and a small amount of sulfur that is bombarded by microwaves to produce luminescence The Washingon Postwrote, ". One golf-ball-sized sulfur bulb,when irradiated by the kind of compact microwave generator found in ordinary kitchen ovens, puts out as much light as hundreds of high-intensity mercury vapor lamps."

這種新型的人造燈是由一個充滿惰性氣體和少量硫的燈泡組成的，受微波轟擊而發出冷光。《華盛頓郵報》寫道：“一個高爾夫球大小的硫燈泡’，一旦受到普通家用微波爐中那種小型微波發生器的輻射時，就可發出相當于幾百個高強度汞汽燈所產生的亮度。”

A small microwave generator at the base of the bulb bombards the inert gas, heating it. The hot gas energizes electrons in the sulfur, which then emit a large amount of visible light. The bulb itself is rotated quickly by a motor to coolit-otherwise it would melt.

安裝在燈泡底座的一個小微波發生器轟擊惰性氣體，使其發熱。熱氣體使硫里的電子載能。電子便放射出大量的可見光。燈泡本身則由一個馬達帶動迅速旋轉以使其冷卻——否則燈泡將會熔化。

Christine Ervin, an official at DOE, called the technology "advanced and promising," noting "it can save large amounts of energy and at the same time deliver more quantity and better quality light." She added the technology could improve lighting of public spaces while benefiting "the economy and the environment."

美國能源部的一位官員克里斯廷·歐文稱這種技術“先進而前途無量”，認為“它能節約大量能源，同時發出光量更大，質量更好”。她還補充說，該技術既可改進公共場所的照明，又有利于“經濟和環境”。

After the new lighting arrays were installed in the Forrestal Building, they reduced energy usage "by more than 60 percent" for that area, Ervin said. DOE estimates that the cost of lighting large areas in the United States is 8,000 million a year, so if the new bulb is widely used, sayings could be significant.

歐文說，在福雷斯特爾大樓安裝的新型照明系列之后，該地的能源消耗節省“60%以上”。能源部估計，美國大面積的照明每年共須花費80億美元，因此，如果新型燈泡能廣泛應用，節約的金額將是巨大的。

According to DOE, the new lighting has attractive optical qualities, "closelysimulating sunlight."

據能源部宣稱，新光源具有很吸引人的光學質量，“近乎可模擬太陽光”。

In current test arrays, two small bulbs are put into each end of a 72-meter-long reflective plastic "light pipe." One of these pipes now lights an area that had been lit by 240 175-watt mercury lamps in the Forrestal Building, producing four times as much light at one third the cost.

在最近的幾組試驗中，兩個小燈泡分別裝進一只72米長的反射塑料“光管”的兩端。現在，其中的一只光管照亮了福雷斯特爾大樓的一個原由240個175瓦汞燈照明的區域，發出的光為汞燈的四倍而成本僅為原來的三分之一。

Experts note the "new-fangled" bulb emits less ultraviolet light than traditional large-area lighting, making it easier to avoid damaging displays or works of art. In addition, the new kind of light, which is optically somewhat similar to sunlight, seems to be good for growing plants.

專家們認為，這種“新奇的”燈泡所射出的紫外線光少于傳統的大面積采光，從而更有利于避免對陳列品或藝術品的損壞。此外，由于該新光源在光學上有些近似太陽光，因此似乎有利于植物的生長。

At the moment, nobody knows howlong the new bulbs willlast. Since they do not have electrodes there are no filaments to burn out-so they may last a long time. Light output doesn't seem to diminish after extensive use and since this high-efficiency lamp does not make use of mercury, there is no toxic mercury to dispose of.

目前，尚無人知道該新型燈泡的壽命有多長。由于它們沒有電極，也就沒有燒毀燈絲的問題—一因此它們可能會使用很長時間。在廣泛的使用之后，光的輸出量似乎并不會減少——而且，由于這種高效燈不使用汞，也就無需處理有毒的水銀。