日本人省电省下14个核反应堆

    此外，这个为全世界带来混合动力技术的国家还正在致力于开发能够减少温室气体排放，提高能源使用效率的新技术。松下公司(Panasonic)研发的太阳能电池板实现了全球最高的光电转化率。这家公司的新硅片太阳能电池已经取得了24.7%的光电转化率——此前的平均比率仅为10%。与此同时，日立(Hitachi)、富士通(Fujitsu)和日本电气公司(NEC)正通力研发新一代半导体。这些公司希望，计划于2019年前投产的新一代半导体需要的电能将仅仅是目前设备的十分之一。

    九州大学研究员大谷裕司已经开发出了一种名为“风镜”( Wind Lens)的超高效风力涡轮机。他声称，这种蜂巢状结构的涡轮机能够将海上风机产生的风能提升2倍。来自大阪的发明家 Ken Hashizume试图利用一种名为“热垫”(Hot Pad)，能源消耗低的LED技术，改变户外取暖市场的现状，这一市场目前被能源浪费极大的燃气热水器主宰。

    从目前的情形看，美国或许应向日本取取经。日本的能源效率几乎是美国的两倍；日本家庭的年均能耗为5,190千瓦时，而美国则高达9,538千瓦时。（财富中文网）

    译者：任文科 

    The country that gave the world the hybrid is also tapping into new technologies to cut emissions and boost efficiency. Panasonic's solar panels have achieved the world's highest conversion rate for turning light into electricity. The efficiency of its new silicon wafer solar cells does this at a rate of 24.7%, where previously the average was around only 10%. Hitachi, Fujitsu, and NEC, meanwhile, are jointly developing next-generation semiconductors they hope will operate by 2019 that will require just one-tenth of the power consumed by present-day devices.

    Researcher Yuji Ohya of Kyushu University has developed an ultra-efficient wind turbine he calls the Wind Lens. The honeycomb-like structure could triple the amount of wind energy that is produced by offshore turbines, he claims. And with an eye on the market for outdoor heating, now dominated by the outrageously wasteful gas heater, Osaka-based inventor Ken Hashizume has come up with the idea of utilizing low energy LED technology he calls the Hot Pad.

    America could learn a thing or two from Japan, it seems. Japan's energy efficiency is nearly twice as efficient as the U.S.; burning an annual average of 5,190 kilowatt-hours per capita compared to the U.S.'s average per household of 9,538 kilowatt-hours a year.