阿布扎比沙漠中的能源绿洲

    我们上次造访阿布扎比酋长国沙漠之中的在建节能之城马斯达尔时，它不过是建筑师们纸上谈兵的一项计划。而如今，马斯达尔学院（Masdar Institute）已经竣工，而且投入运营，比邻而居的是西门子（Siemens）中东总部的环保节能大楼，而各类商店和餐馆则如雨后春笋般涌现，其中包括一家寿司餐厅、一间书店和一家有机食品超市。迄今为止，相较于传统的中东楼宇，马斯达尔的楼宇已成功降低了56%的能源需求以及54%的饮用水需求。最为令人印象深刻的是这座小型城市目前完全实现了可再生能源发电。马斯达尔的电力供应全部来自一座装机容量为10兆瓦的本地太阳能光伏电厂以及一套装机容量为1兆瓦的屋顶式太阳能光伏发电机组。

    马斯达尔可持续发展部门主管纳瓦尔•阿尔-霍萨尼说：“我们在建造城市的过程中不断进行各种新技术实验，从中总结经验。楼宇建造的各个阶段环环相扣。”实际上，整个工程的推进相当棘手。举个例子，阿尔-霍萨尼说，他们原来想要通过搭接城市地下潜水面，而不是从异地运水入城，以达到节约用水（节省开支）的效果——这是中东地区较普遍的做法。而当工程师发现地下水的含盐量大大超过海水时，他们便改变了方向，目前正在研究如何建造一座太阳能海水脱盐工厂。

    马斯达尔的节能成效在很大程度上源自于智能设计。街道的布局缓解了盛夏的日照。步道和广场也偏离南向而建，而且配有遮阳篷和林荫。楼宇外部采用反光率最小化的材料。阿尔-霍萨尼称，这座城市比一般城区要凉快40度。

    马斯达尔是阿布扎比酋长国政府将石油收益投资于绿色产业的计划的一部分。人们可以把它堪称一所将可持续性理念付诸实践检验的实验室。项目将比预期推迟几年完成。目前尚不清楚所应用技术是否带来了经济回报。但它真正的目标是研究如何将绿色理念付诸于一座宜居的沙漠城市。

    马斯达尔不仅仅是一座普通的城市，但很多人都忽视了这一点。马斯达尔学院与麻省理工（MIT）协同合作，拥有337名来自全球各地的硕士研究生和博士研究生，致力于研究进一步实现能源、建筑、水资源和食品可持续发展的方法。马斯达尔项目旗下的投资公司Masdar Capital在全球范围内支持清洁技术项目，旨在尽早涉足有前景的新兴可持续性技术。马斯达尔还设立了一项奖金总额为400万美元的扎耶德未来能源奖（Zayed Future Energy Prize），类似于闻名于世的埃克斯奖（X-Prize）。每年，马斯达尔将该奖项授予在可再生能源和可持续性领域展现杰出领导力的公司和个人。谁能说得准呢？没准有一天，这些公司和个人带来的某些理念就会在马斯达尔城成为现实。（财富中文网）

    译者：Ella

    The last time we visited Masdar -- the green city being built in the desert sands of Abu Dhabi -- the project wasn't much more than an architect's scheme. Fast-forward and what you'll find is an operating university, the Masdar Institute, and nearby the energy-saving Middle East headquarters tower of Siemens, plus various shops and restaurants -- including a sushi joint, a bookstore, and an organic supermarket. To date, Masdar's buildings reduce energy demand by 56% and potable water demand by 54% compared to traditional Middle Eastern structures. What's perhaps most impressive is that the small city is currently powered 100% by renewables. Electricity is generated by a 10-megawatt solar PV plant located on-site and a rooftop solar PV installation totaling 1 megawatt.

    Nawal Al-Hosany, the director of sustainability at Masdar says: "As we build the city we're constantly experimenting with a lot of new technology, and we're constantly learning from the process. Each new phase of building enforces the next." Indeed. This is tricky business. As an example, Al-Hosany says that they originally wanted to conserve water (and save money) by tapping the water table beneath the city instead of shipping it in -- which is common in the Middle East. When the engineers found that the groundwater was many times saltier than seawater, they switched gears and are now researching how to build a solar-powered desalination plant for seawater.

    Much of the energy savings at Masdar come from smart design. Street layouts mitigate the effects of the hot summer sun. Walkways and plazas are oriented away from the south and contain awnings and shade trees. Building exteriors use materials to minimize reflected sun. Al-Hosany says the cityscape is as much as 40 degrees cooler than a conventional urban area.

    Masdar is an effort on the part of the government of Abu Dhabi to invest its oil dollars in a greener future. Think of it as a lab where sustainable ideas can be tested. The project will now take a couple of years longer to finish than first thought. And so far, it's not clear whether any of the technology being deployed has an economic payback. The goal, however, is to learn how to integrate green ideas into a livable desert city.

    What many miss is that Masdar is more than a city. At Masdar Institute, a university operated in conjunction with MIT, 337 masters and PhD candidates from all over the world are studying ways to make our energy, buildings, water, and food more sustainable. Masdar Capital, the project's investment arm, backs clean-tech projects around the world, hoping to get in early on promising new sustainable technologies. Masdar even has a $4 million award program -- the Zayed Future Energy Prize -- like the vaunted X-Prize. Each year it recognizes companies and individuals who show leadership in renewable energy and sustainability. And who knows? Maybe someday a few of those notions will end up in Masdar City.