China is putting its power grids under one set of market rules. The aim is simple to state: a factory in an eastern province should be able to buy electricity made by a solar farm in a western province, in the same way it buys goods from another city.
The problem the plan tries to solve is uneven supply. The west has wide deserts, strong sunlight and empty land, so it can produce far more wind and solar power than it can use. The east has most of the factories and most of the demand, but very little space for large clean power plants. For years this gap was filled by burning coal near the cities.
Moving clean power from west to east is not only a matter of building wires. Electricity is hard to store, so supply and demand must match at every second. When a province protects its own power companies, it may refuse to buy from outside even if the price is lower. Prices also differ from place to place, which makes it hard to compare offers.
The new market tries to fix these points. It sets common rules for trading, allows long-term contracts between provinces, and lets prices move up and down with real supply. In the first years of operation, the volume of cross-province green power traded has grown quickly, and some eastern cities now cover a large share of their needs with western wind and solar power.
The task is far from finished. Long-distance lines lose energy on the way, and poor regions worry that their cheap power will be sold away and leave local people paying more. How to share the gain fairly between the two ends of the wire may be the hardest question of all.
Words to know:
- grid (n. 电网，输电网)
- solar (adj. 太阳能的，太阳的)
- demand (n. 需求，需要)
- store (v. 储存，贮藏)
- contract (n. 合同，契约)
- volume (n. 量，总量)
- province (n. 省，省份)
- fairly (adv. 公平地，公正地)
长难句拆解 · so 引导结果状语从句 + 比较级 + than it can use
原文：The west has wide deserts, strong sunlight and empty land, so it can produce far more wind and solar power than it can use.
拆解：主干是 The west has wide deserts, strong sunlight and empty land（西部拥有广袤沙漠、充足日照和空旷土地）。前半句是主谓宾，宾语由三个并列名词短语构成。so 引导结果状语从句，表示「因此」。从句中用比较结构 far more … than it can use，far 用来加强比较级，than 后面是省略了宾语的主谓结构 it can use（它自己能用的量）。注意 power 在这里是不可数名词，所以用 more 而不是 many。
直译：西部有广袤的沙漠、充足的日照和空旷的土地，因此它能生产的风电和光伏电远超自身所需。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- is putting its power grids under one set of market rules → is bringing the networks under a single set of rules（grid ＝ 电网）
- uneven supply → an imbalance between what is produced and what is needed（uneven ＝ 不均衡的）
- most of the demand → the greatest share of the need（demand ＝ 需求）
- this gap was filled by burning coal → coal was used to cover the shortfall（gap ＝ shortfall，缺口）
- is not only a matter of building wires → does not depend on lines alone（a matter of ＝ 取决于）
- Prices also differ from place to place → prices also vary between regions（differ ＝ vary）
- share the gain fairly → divide the benefit in a just way（fairly ＝ 公平地）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：新市场规则允许东部省份拒绝购买价格更低的外省电力。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：为什么说把清洁电力从西送到东不只是架设电线的问题？
- 选词填空：Electricity is hard to ____, so supply and demand must match at every second.（供选：store / restore / stock）
参考答案与解析
- FALSE。原文说 When a province protects its own power companies, it may refuse to buy from outside，但这是描述旧做法造成的问题；随后说明 The new market tries to fix these points，并明确 It sets common rules for trading, allows long-term contracts between provinces。因此「允许拒绝」与原文相反。
- 因为电很难储存，供给与需求必须每一秒都精确匹配；而且地方保护会阻碍跨省购电，各地电价不同也让报价难以比较。原文对应 Electricity is hard to store, so supply and demand must match at every second，以及随后关于地方保护与价格差异的说明。答出「难以储存」这一点即可得分，答全更佳。
- store。store 意为「储存」，与 electricity 搭配表示电难以储存。restore 意为「恢复、修复」，stock 多指「备货」且较少与 electricity 直接搭配，均不合题意。
中文译文
中国正把各地电网纳入同一套市场规则之下。目标说起来很简单：东部省份的一家工厂，应当能够买到西部省份一座光伏电站发出的电，就像它从另一座城市买货一样。
这个方案要解决的，是供给不均衡的问题。西部有广袤的沙漠、充足的日照和空旷的土地，因此能生产远超自身所需的风电与光伏电。东部聚集了大部分工厂与大部分用电需求，却几乎没有空间建大型清洁电源。多年来这个缺口靠在城市附近烧煤来填。
把清洁电力从西送到东，不只是架线的问题。电很难储存，因此供给与需求必须每一秒都匹配。当一个省份保护本省电力企业时，即使外地电价更低，它也可能拒绝购买。各地电价也不相同，这让报价难以比较。
新市场试图解决这几点。它设定统一的交易规则，允许省际之间签订长期合同，并让价格随真实供需上下浮动。运行的头几年，跨省绿电交易量增长很快，一些东部城市如今已有很大一部分用电来自西部的风电与光伏。
任务远未结束。长距离输电线路沿途会有损耗，欠发达地区也担心自家便宜的电力被卖走，最后让本地人付更高的电价。如何在电线的两端公平分配收益，或许是最难的一道题。