《自然》杂志评论文章严厉批评国际热核聚变能源研究项目〔ITER〕

陈一文专栏 >> 《自然》杂志评论文章严厉批评国际热核聚变能源研究项目〔ITER〕

陈一文 （cheniwan@263.net）　2007.02

Our emperors have no clothes
我们的皇帝没有穿衣服

〔2006年11月30日〕

原文∶☞http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7119/full/444519a.html
☞http://www.nature.com/news/2006/061127/full/444519a.html
译自☞http://fire.pppl.gov/iter_sign_nature_112906.pdf全文转载的文章。

www.nature.com/nature Vol 444 | Issue no. 7119 | 30 November 2006

〔英国〕《自然》杂志文章《自然》杂志2006年11月30日总第7119期

译者按∶为便于读者核对译文，作者特别采取英中文对照方式提供中译文，希望《自然》杂志网站不会因此追究译者全文转载英文原文的责任。

The ITER fusion project demonstrates a solidity of purpose that is sorely lacking across the rest of the energy research spectrum.

国际热核聚变能源研究项目〔ITER〕表明了能源研究其它领域非常缺乏的目的上的一致性。

Last week’s formal agreement in Paris to begin construction of the ITER experimental fusion reactor at Cadarache in France was a satisfying culmination of decades of effort by the fusion community. The project may or may not ensure the technical future of magnetic fusion energy, but it will certainly provide an invaluable focal point for its investigation for decades to come.

上一周在巴黎达成了在法国卡达拉奇〔Cadarache〕开始建造国际热核聚变能源研究实验性热核聚变反应器的正式协议，使热核聚变能源界数十年以来的努力达到令人满意的高潮。该项目或许保证，或许不保证，核聚变能源的技术前景，但是肯定地为核聚变能源界今后几十年的研究提供了价值无法估量的关键性条件。

The agreement to build ITER — which, in a landmark move, includes significant contributions from both India and China — is out of character, however. There is no corresponding effort, collaborative or otherwise, to do the research that is needed to aggressively pursue any of the other multifarious approaches to tackling the mounting

global energy crisis.

同意建造国际热核聚变能源研究反应器的协议—划时代的包括了来自印度与中国的重大贡献—无论如何不相称。因为，对于解决正在越来越严重的全球能源危机需要更加积极推进的其它种种解决方案的研究方面，没有相应的反应、协作或其它方面的努力。

Energy research and development has actually collapsed since the aftermath of the last energy crisis in the 1970s. Indeed, according to an assessment by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state, global expenditure on it has fallen by two-thirds since 1974. This time, climate change and a vast upsurge in the Asian demand for energy, as well as a crisis in the Middle East, mean it is almost universally acknowledged that the energy crisis is here to stay.

作为上世纪七十年代期间上一次能源危机的后果以来，能源领域的研究与开发实际上已经崩溃了。确实，依据华盛敦州太平洋西北国家实验室〔Pacific Northwest National Laboratory〕的一项评估报告，1974年以来，对于能源领域研究与开发的投资减少了三分之二。这一次，气候变化以及亚洲对能源的需求广泛进入高潮，以及中东的危机，意味着几乎全球都认识到目前的能源危机将持续。

But there is still no serious effort to revive energy research. The reasons (or excuses) for inaction vary from place to place. One universal theme lurking in the background is the belief that market forces will pull viable energy sources to fruition, without the need for publicly supported research. Oddly enough, this argument doesn’t stop governments supporting basic and applied research in areas such as public health, where they perceive a pressing need to push technology forward into the market. In any case, market forces are largely absent, as most users of fossil fuel still don’t pay the real cost of their carbon emissions.

但是依然没有认真的努力来复兴能源方面的研究。无所作为的理由〔或借口〕在不同的地方有所不同。背景中潜伏的一种普遍性的主旋律是相信市场的力量将把可行的能源拖出来供我们享用，因而不需要对能源方面的研究公开给予支持。古怪的是，这种论点并不阻止政府在他们感受到推动技术进入市场的紧迫需要的地方，例如公共卫生领域，对基础与应用研究给予支持。在任何情况下，市场力量在很大程度上缺乏，因为矿物燃料的大部分用户仍然没有付出他们所排放的碳排放物的真正成本。

Energy research

能源研究

It is true that the short-term economic feasibility of renewable energy sources, for example, or of clean-burning coal-fired power stations, will be determined largely by market conditions. However, in the longer term, radical breakthroughs in everything from photovoltaic materials to the efficiency of cars and trucks are critically important

to the prospects for different approaches to energy production, transmission and use.

Over the past 30 years, only Japan, which is dependent on imported fossil fuels, has maintained energy research at a reasonably high level. And even Japan’s programme is seriously skewed in favour of approaches to nuclear fission that look increasingly unlikely to meet its energy needs.

可再生能源，或者清洁燃煤火力发电，短期的经济可行性，在很大程度上确实取决于市场条件。然而，从更长期上讲，从光电材料到小汽车与卡车的效率所有根本性的突破对能源生产、传输与应用的不同途径前景具有关键性的重要性。过去30年，只有完全依赖于矿物燃料的日本将能源研究的努力保持在合理高的水平。但是，即便在日本的能源开发计划中，也严重向有利于热核聚变途径倾斜，尽管这种途径不大可能满足日本的能源需要。

In the United States, energy research at least has a natural home, in the Department of Energy. The department’s research programmes have some notable strengths: its basic energy-sciences programme, for example, supports a raft of basic research projects and facilities in fields, such as materials science, that may underpin future progress in energy technologies. Its network of national laboratories provides a good interdisciplinary foundation for both basic and applied energy research. And its research efforts in energy conservation have grown over the past decade. However, its investment in research on renewable energy remains tiny, especially compared with the levels that were briefly attained under Jimmy Carter’s presidency. On energy policy, as on other matters, Carter’s legacy continues to improve withage. If the new Democratic majority in Congress is serious about energy policy, it will do its best to restore these programmes.

在美国，能源研究至少有一个天然的家，即能源部。美国能源部的研究计划具有某些值得注意的优势∶它的基础能源科学计划，例如，支持大量基础研究项目与不同领域的设施，如材料科学，它可能对能源技术未来的进展提供支撑。能源部的国家实验室网对能源基础研究与应用研究提供着良好的多学科基础。在节省能源方面的研究努力过去几十年也一直增长。然而，它在可再生能源研究开发方面的投资水平与吉米•卡特总统领导下大致达到的水平相比一直微乎其微。在能源政策上，以及其它事务上，卡特总统期间遗留的研究开发成果随着时代继续改进。如果国会中的新的民主党多数认真对待能源政策的话，它会尽力恢复这些研究开发计划。

Underfunding and neglect

提供资金不足与忽视

In Europe, energy research programmes have been eviscerated since the 1970s, despite political leaders’ claims to be taking climate change seriously. The nuclear fission programmes that dominated at that time have been abandoned (except in France), and nothing has been established in their place. Applied energy research has no natural institutional home and no clear political constituency (in the shape of a group of dependent institutions or individuals who will fight for its budget). With the exception of fusion and ITER, the overall European effort is paltry, and is mainly based in universities — which are good at identifying ideas, but are not equipped to take them forward into commercial application.

在欧洲，能源研究计划自70年代以来就除去了其精华，尽管政治领袖们声称他们对气候变化认真对待。那时处于垄断地位的核裂变研究开发计划已经放弃〔在法国除外〕，且没有建立任何能够取代其地位的新的研究开发计划。应用性的能源研究在欧洲没有任何天然的机构成为其家，亦没有任何清晰的政策连续性〔形成一批依赖这种政策连续性的机构或个人为其预算而抗争〕。热聚变和国际热核聚变能源研究项目作为唯一的例外之外，整个欧洲在能源研究开发方面的努力主要建立在许多大学的基础上—它们在鉴别想法方面不错，但是缺乏足够资源能够将好的想法推进到商业应用。

Some proposals have been developed to confront this. Germany is spending €50 million (US$65 million) each year at the European Institute for Energy Research

at Karlsruhe, and Britain is planning to spend a similar amount (matched by private funds) at an Energy Technology Institute, to be established in 2008. The seventh European Framework Programme, which starts next year, identifies energy as one of nine priorities (transportation is another), but devotes less than 5% of its total resources — €2.3 billion over six years — to its pursuit.

提出了某些建议对此抗争。德国每年在卡尔思鲁赫〔Karlsruhe〕的欧洲能源研究所花费的资金达5000万欧元〔6500万美元〕；英国计划在2008年建成的能源技术研究院花费同样多的资金〔配上私人投资的资金〕。明年开始的第七个欧洲框架计划，已将能源确定为九项优先发展的领域之一〔运输是另一项〕，但是对能源研究开发投入的资金少于决定投入该框架计划的23亿欧元资金总额的5%。

None of this is commensurate with the immense challenges of energy security and climate change facing the world. The ITER project, admirable though it is, should be merely a component of a concerted effort. Fusion is decades away from fruition, and even its proponents don’t expect it to contribute to the world’s need for alternatives to fossil fuel within the next 30 years.

所有这些没有一项与当今世界目前面临的能源安全与气候变化向全球提出的挑战相称。国际热核聚变能源研究计划，尽管绝妙，本来应当只不过是整个能源研究开发协调努力的一部分。热核聚变与其成果的实施相遥几十年，即便其建议者也并不期望它在今后三十年内能够对取代矿物燃料的世界需要做出什么贡献。

Fusion is also unusual in that its prototyping needs a multi billion dollar facility that can best be built through a fully fledged international collaboration. Other energy research has infrastructure requirements, too. But most of the parties to the ITER agreement areneglecting them, allowing energy research and development to drift along listlessly. In so doing, they betray an appalling lack of seriousness in confronting one of the century’s most pressing problems.

热核聚变亦不寻常，即便它的原型样机也需要数十亿美元，以至必须通过充分保障的国际合作才能实施。其它的能源研究亦有基础设施方面的需要。但是，签署国际热核聚变能源研究计划协议的绝大部分成员忽视其它能源研究对基础设施方面的这种的需要，允许能源研究与开发无精打采地漂游。允许这种情况发生，在应对本世纪最为迫切的一个问题中他们暴露出令人震惊缺乏认真对待的迹象。

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Our emperors have no clothes 我们的皇帝没有穿衣服

Our emperors have no clothes
我们的皇帝没有穿衣服