Scientists Generate Electricity Using Shadows 科学家用影子发电

It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie， but the shadow-effect energy generator （SEG） is a real prototype device. The fascinating device could help people to transform the way renewable energy is generated indoors.

The SEG uses the contrast between darkness and light to produce electricity. Its made up of a series of thin strips of gold film on a silicon wafer， placed on top of a flexible plastic base.

Whereas shadows are usually a problem for renewable solar energy production， the scientists discovered a way to actually harness the shadows to keep on generating power. The technology—which is cheaper to produce than a typical solar cell， according to its developers—produces small amounts of power and could be used in mobile gadgets.

“Shadows are omnipresent， and we often take them for granted，” says materials scientist Tan Swee Ching， from the National University of Singapore （NUS）. “In conventional photovoltaic or optoelectronic applications where a steady source of light is used to power devices， the presence of shadows is undesirable， since it degrades the performance of devices.

“In this work， we capitalized on the illumination contrast caused by shadows as an indirect source of power. The contrast in illumination induces a voltage difference between the shadow and illuminated sections， resulting in an electric current. This novel concept of harvesting energy in the presence of shadows is unprecedented.”

這听起来好像是科幻电影里的东西，但阴影效应发电机是真实存在的实物装置。这个吸引人的装置能帮助人们改变可再生能源在室内产生的方式。

阴影效应发电机利用明暗对比来发电，它由硅晶片上的一系列薄金片组成，这些薄金片被安置在软塑料底座上。

尽管阴影通常会给可再生太阳能生产造成问题，但事实上，科学家找到了利用影子来持续发电的方法。据其开发人员介绍，这种技术比一般的太阳能电池生产成本更低，虽然产生的功率很小，但是可用于移动设备。

新加坡国立大学材料科学家Tan Swee Ching说：“阴影无处不在，我们经常认为它的存在是理所当然的。在传统的光电应用中，稳定光源被用来给设备供电，人们不喜欢影子的存在，因为它降低了设备的性能。

“在这项工作中，我们利用影子产生的明暗对比，把它当作间接能源。明暗对比使阴影部分和被照亮部分之间产生电压差，这导致电流的产生。这种从阴影中获取能量的新概念前所未有。”

Word Study

device /d?'va?s/ n. 装置;设备

base /be?s/ n. 基底;底座

gadget /'ɡ?d??t/ n. 小器具;小装置

conventional /k?n'ven??nl/ adj. 传统的

capitalize on 利用

The team failed to capitalize on their early lead.