California is arguably the wealthiest and most technologically advanced place on earth. It’s ground zero for innovation and a magnet for the world’s brightest people.

çalifornia可以说是地球上最富有，技术最先进的地方。 它是创新的零地面要素，也是世界上最聪明的人的吸引力。

But it can’t keep the lights on.

但是它不能保持开灯。

In recent weeks, millions of Californians have experienced rolling blackouts, and they’re expecting more.

最近几周，数百万加利福尼亚人经历了连续停电 ，并且他们期望更多。

According to the Los Angeles Times, California Governor Gavin Newsom cites the state’s transition away from traditional yet stable sources of power, like nuclear and gas, toward cleaner yet unreliable renewables, like solar and wind, as the leading cause of the blackouts. This comes at a time when the population is projected to grow by several million people over the next five years. Something will need to change.

根据《洛杉矶时报》的报道 ，加州州长加文·纽瑟姆( Gavin Newsom)指出，该州已从核电和天然气等传统而稳定的能源向过度清洁但不可靠的可再生能源(如太阳能和风能) 过渡 ，这是停电的主要原因。 这是在预计未来五年内人口将增长数百万人的时候。 某些事情需要改变。

Green energy may be the solution to a serious long-term problem — climate change — but as it stands, the harsh reality today is that Californians cannot expect the lights to always turn on. And when they do, the cost is double what states like Texas pay.

绿色能源也许可以解决一个严重的长期问题-气候变化-但就目前而言，严酷的现实是加利福尼亚人不能指望灯总是开着。 而当他们这样做时， 成本是德克萨斯州等州的两倍 。

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These high prices are directly tied to how California’s energy supply has changed over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2018, the closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant in San Diego caused the supply of nuclear power to fall 42%, and generation from natural gas fell 17%. In the same period, wind power more than doubled, and solar jumped from less than 1,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to more than 27,000 GWh.

这些高昂的价格直接关系到加州能源供应在过去十年中的变化。 在2010年至2018年之间，圣地亚哥San Onofre核电站的关闭导致核电供应下降了42％，天然气发电量下降了17％。 在同一时期，风力发电量增加了一倍以上，太阳能从不足1,000吉瓦时(GWh)跃升至超过27,000 GWh。

A government mandate for a carbon-free energy supply by 2045 has caused the slowdown of gas and nuclear, but renewables aren’t replacing them quickly enough. The state’s noncommercial production of energy is falling while imports are rising.

政府要求在2045年之前实现无碳能源供应，这导致了天然气和核能的发展放缓，但是可再生能源的替代能力还不够快。 该州的非商业能源生产正在下降，而进口却在上升。

The irony is that while California, one of the wealthiest and most innovative destinations in the world, goes without power, some of the poorest and most isolated places on earth are enjoying access to unlimited and affordable power.

具有讽刺意味的是，虽然加利福尼亚是世界上最富裕，最具创新性的目的地之一，但是却没有电力供应，但地球上一些最贫穷，最偏僻的地方却享有无限的，负担得起的电力供应。

Take, for example, the Chukchi region of Russia’s north, a vast and lightly populated region in eastern Siberia. Last December, in the Siberian port city of Pevek, a barge emerged from the winter gloom, carrying the world’s first floating nuclear power plant (pictured below). The tiny town of just 5,000 people now has access to a source of energy that can supply up to 100,000 people, while replacing an outdated and dirty coal plant in the area.

以俄罗斯北部的楚科奇地区为例，这是西伯利亚东部的一个人口稠密且人口稀少的地区。 去年12月，在西伯利亚港口城市Pevek，一艘驳船从冬天的阴暗中冒出来，运载着世界上第一座浮动式核电站 (如下图所示)。 这个只有5,000人的小镇现在可以使用能源供应，最多可以供应100,000人，同时可以代替该地区过时的肮脏燃煤电厂。

Now, for anyone who just finished watching the HBO series Chernobyl, a floating Russian nuclear reactor is probably the last thing you want to see bobbing in the San Francisco Bay. But, the Russians promise, there’s nothing to worry about — it uses the latest technology and is completely safe.

现在，对于刚刚看完HBO系列切尔诺贝利系列的人来说，漂浮的俄罗斯核React堆可能是您最想看到的在旧金山湾晃动的东西。 但是， 俄罗斯人保证 ，没有什么可担心的-它使用了最新技术并且完全安全。

On one hand, we have a modern state like California embracing renewables yet suffering blackouts while paying sky high prices for power. And on the other hand, we have remote Arctic towns quickly hooked up to energy that’s cheap and reliable.

一方面，我们有一个像加利福尼亚州这样的现代州，它拥抱可再生能源，但在停电的同时却付出了高昂的电价。 另一方面，我们有偏远的北极城镇Swift连接到廉价而可靠的能源上。

Nuclear energy in general is surprisingly safe, according to research, including by Our World in Data, a science publication affiliated with the University of Oxford. Nuclear is just as safe as renewables — it has the lowest rates of death per terawatt-hour of all energy sources except biomass.

包括牛津大学附属科学出版物《 我们的世界数据》在内的研究表明，总体而言，核能非常安全。 核能与可再生能源一样安全-除生物质外，它在所有能源中每太瓦小时的死亡率最低。

And it’s getting safer. There are dozens of startups making nuclear power smaller, safer, and cheaper. They even look different, like the small plant shown below that is planned for Idaho in the next few years.

而且它变得越来越安全。 有数十家初创公司使核电变得更小，更安全，更便宜。 它们甚至看起来有所不同，例如下面所示的爱达荷州未来几年计划的小工厂 。

The people of Pevek and others in Russia’s Arctic seem to agree that floating nuclear power is a worthy investment. The country has long had a fleet of nuclear power icebreakers, and it’s building three more, including the Leader, which will be the world’s biggest, able to smash its way through ice up to 4.3 meters (14 feet) thick.

佩维克和俄罗斯北极地区的其他人似乎都同意，浮动核电是一项值得的投资。 该国长期以来拥有一支核动力破冰船队，并且正在建造三艘 ，其中包括“ 领袖”号(Leader) ，它将成为世界上最大的核能破冰船，它能够通过厚达4.3米(14英尺)的冰砸碎其道路。

(Of course, we’ve also had nuclear-powered submarines plying the ocean depths for decades. Today there are about 150 nuclear subs operated by six countries, with Brazil next to join the club.)

(当然，几十年来，我们还拥有过核动力潜艇，它们一直在海洋深处航行。如今，六个国家运营着约150个核潜艇， 巴西也加入了该俱乐部。)

So, on one hand, we have a modern state like California embracing renewables yet suffering blackouts while paying sky-high prices for power. And on the other, we have remote Arctic towns quickly hooked up to energy that’s cheap and reliable.

因此，一方面，我们有一个像加利福尼亚州这样的现代州，它拥抱可再生能源，但在停电的同时却支付了天价的电力。 另一方面，我们有偏远的北极城镇Swift连接到廉价而可靠的能源上。

Even the most ardent supporters of green energy must admit these are bad optics. And many countries are taking notice.

即使是最热衷于绿色能源的支持者，也必须承认这些是不良的光学器件。 许多国家都在注意。

In 2026, Egypt will turn on the continent’s first nuclear power plant outside of South Africa, while 10 other African countries have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of plans to explore nuclear energy.

2026年，埃及将开启非洲大陆在南非以外的第一座核电站，而其他10个非洲国家已将勘探核能的计划告知了国际原子能机构。

Take a moment to consider how extraordinary this is. Rwanda — a country that saw up to 1 million people killed during a civil war turned genocide in the 1990s — will have nuclear research labs and a small reactor by 2024.

花点时间考虑一下这有多特别。 卢旺达-一个在1990年代内战期间因种族灭绝而导致多达100万人丧生的国家- 到2024年将拥有核研究实验室和一个小型React堆。

Africa’s embrace of nuclear energy may be surprising, but it shouldn’t be. The continent has suffered from severe power shortages as its population and economies grow. Western governments and NGOs have told African countries to embrace renewable energy, but Africa has to look only as far as California to see soaring costs and devastating blackouts.

非洲拥护核能也许令人惊讶，但事实并非如此。 随着人口和经济的增长，非洲大陆遭受了严重的电力短缺 。 西方政府和非政府组织已告知非洲国家采用可再生能源，但是非洲只需要看到加利福尼亚，才能看到成本飞涨和毁灭性的停电。

Many countries remain committed to nuclear energy even if California isn’t. Fifty new reactors will be finished by 2025. They are in the usual places like Russia and China, but also in countries like Bangladesh, Finland, UAE, and Turkey.

即使加利福尼亚不是，许多国家仍然致力于核能。 五个新React堆将完成 2025年他们在平常的地方，如俄罗斯和中国，而且在像孟加拉国，芬兰，阿联酋和土耳其的国家。

Now that Russia has shown that a reactor can simply be towed into position off the coast, who knows where this might lead.

现在，俄罗斯已经表明，React堆可以简单地拖到海岸附近的位置，谁知道这可能会引向何方。

Rosatom, the country’s atomic energy agency, says several countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, and Namibia, have approached the agency about its floating reactor.

该国原子能机构Rosatom说，包括印度尼西亚，马来西亚，阿尔及利亚和纳米比亚在内的几个国家已经就该浮式React堆与该机构进行了接触 。

With almost half of the world’s population living within 100 kilometers of the coast, what’s stopping a country from renting a floating reactor to meet its energy needs? It could be floated into position and plugged into the local grid much quicker than a land-based reactor that takes years to plan, let alone build.

世界上近一半的人口生活在海岸100公里以内，是什么阻止一个国家​​租用浮动React堆来满足其能源需求？ 它可能比陆上React堆要花费数年计划，更不用说建造了，因此可以浮动到位并插入本地电网要快得多。

This may also solve two of the biggest worries with nuclear power: the threat of arms proliferation and the disposal of waste. A rented reactor would remain under the jurisdiction of the owner — like Russia or the United States — so the local country couldn’t access any material needed for weapons development, while any waste would be eventually returned to the renter country for disposal.

这也可能解决两个对核电的最大担忧：武器扩散的威胁和废物的处置。 租用的React堆将仍归所有者(如俄罗斯或美国)管辖，因此该本地国家无法获得武器开发所需的任何材料，而任何废物最终都将被返还给租用国处置。

These possibilities are starting to dominate national discussions about energy. What is clear, however, is that places like California are not leading the way on future energy as much as we may have hoped. Our soaring costs and power outages are causing some developing countries to tap the brakes on renewables and take another look at nuclear.

这些可能性开始主导全国有关能源的讨论。 但是，很清楚的是，像加利福尼亚这样的地方并没有像我们所希望的那样在未来能源方面处于领先地位。 我们高昂的成本和停电正在促使一些发展中国家放慢对可再生能源的依赖，并重新审视核能。

Wouldn’t this be the cruelest irony of all for advocates of green energy? That their greatest successes in places like California might turn out to be the greatest argument against green energy itself?

对于绿色能源倡导者来说，这难道不是最残酷的讽刺吗？ 他们在加州等地取得的最大成功可能会成为反对绿色能源本身的最大论据？