中国生态文明建设（中英对照）连载之十九
控制能源消费
本书由北京语言大学出版社出版，2014（教学课件光盘版） 作者 蒋高明
（2）控制能源消费
（2）Control resource consumption
最近，一位瑞典皇家工学院的朋友告诉我，中国农民用来做饭的沼气，在西方国家已经用来驱动汽车了。在瑞典哥德堡，沼气经过净化之后，会通过天然气管道输送到专门的“加油站”，并且对其加压，以备小汽车使用。任何能使用天然气的小汽车，都能使用这种沼气，这已成当地的一种环保时尚。
Recently, a friend from Kungliga Tekniska högskolan told me that while biogas was being used by Chinese farmers for cooking, it has been used as vehicle gas in Western countries. In Gothenburg, Sweden, biogas will be transmitted by pipeline to a special “gas station” after purification and then compressed for vehicle use. It can be used by any vehicle that can use natural gas. This practice has become a local eco-fashion.
沼气和天然气的主要成分都是甲烷，但不同的是，沼气能够以有机垃圾为原料，依靠细菌制造出来，不必像天然气那样依赖地下的化石资源。从瑞典的例子可以看出，因依赖不可再生能源而引起的当代社会的能源问题，是可以通过可再生能源而得到合理解决的。
The main element of both biogas and natural gas is methane. But the difference between the two is that biogas can be produced by bacteria by means of using organic waste as raw material, while natural gas relies on underground fossil resources. From the Swedish example, we can see that contemporary energy problems caused by non-renewable energy can be resolved by application of renewable energy.
再看中国当前的能源结构：80%来自燃煤。
Now, take a look at China’s current energy structure: 80% is from coal.
首先，煤炭资源来自地下的化石，储量有限。虽然各种推算方法不一，但是可以肯定的是煤炭的使用是有年限的。其次，开采、运输和使用煤炭都会造成环境污染。煤炭燃烧会释放二氧化硫、氮氧化物等酸性气体和粉尘。这些酸性气体遇到空气中的水蒸气，会变成无机酸，进而形成酸雨降落到地面上，污染大气、建筑物和水资源；而粉尘排放会造成PM2.5～PM10的大量增加。除了环境污染，不可再生能源的采集过程还会造成地面下沉，严重破坏当地生态。
Coal resources are from underground fossil resources with limited reserves. Although a variety of different calculation methods exist, coal resources certainly are not infinite. And, the mining, transportation and use of coal will cause environmental pollution. Coal combustion releases sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other acid gases and dust. These acid gases will become inorganic acid after encountering vapor in the air, creating acid rain that damages the foliage as well as buildings and pollutes the water; dust emission will result in a significant increase in PM2.5~PM10. In addition to environmental pollution, the mining process of non-renewable energy will result in ground subsidence, seriously damaging the local ecology.
根据国家能源局统计，2012年全国一次能源消费总量约为36.2亿吨标煤，人均2.7吨。其中煤炭消费量约为24亿吨标煤，人均1.79吨；石油表观消费量为4.8亿吨，成品油约为2.7亿吨，相当于每个中国人年消耗石油203公斤。这组沉重的数据说明，中国要想天蓝、水清、地绿，必须从控制能源消耗入手。
According to the statistics from the National Energy Administration, the total consumption of primary energy in 2012 was approximately 3.62 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, or 2.7 tons per capita. Coal consumption was about 2.4 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, or 1.79 tons per capita; oil apparent consumption was 480 million tons and refined oil was 270 million tons, meaning that the consumption of oil by every Chinese was 203 kilograms per year. Such depressive data show that, if China wants blue sky, clear water, and green land, it must start from control of energy consumption.
因此，控制能源消费总量已成为中国能源政策的大势所趋。具体措施包括：通过市场手段严控能源消费总量，完善电价定价机制和煤电价格关系，理顺天然气与可替代能源比价关系，完善差别电价和惩罚性电价政策；推进资源税改革，强化能源消费环节税收调节，严格控制高耗能产业；大力发展可再生能源，向太阳要能源，向风、水、地热、生物质要能源，让高污染、不可再生的化石能源，逐步给可再生的、绿色的能源让路。
Therefore, the control of total energy consumption has become a policy trend. Specific measures include: strictly controlling total energy consumption through market means, improving the pricing mechanism for electricity and the relationship between prices for electricity and coal, rationalizing the price relationship between natural gas and alternative energy, improving differential power prices and punitive electricity pricing policies; promote resources tax reform, strengthen tax regulation in energy consumption, strictly controlling high energy-consuming industries; and vigorously developing renewable energy and energy from wind, water, terrestrial heat, and biomass, so that high-polluting and non-renewable fossil fuels will be replaced by renewable and green energy.
国家的宏观调控和新能源开发等节能措施，可能普通人还很难切身感受到，但是，当你进入电器卖场，国家的节能政策是可以亲身感受到的。近年来，大到冰箱、空调、洗衣机，小到吸尘器、电饭锅，各类电器产品的标签上，一定少不了一张“中国能效标识”。从绿色到黄色到红色的不同标识，显示了产品的能耗水平。购买绿色的低能耗产品，可以获得最高400元的国家补贴。也就是说，购买节能产品，虽然价钱昂贵一些，但是在节省电费的同时，国家还会对你的节能行动做出奖励。除此之外，政府还会定期公布“节能产品惠民工程推广目录”，引导民众加入节能行动，推进节能产品产业升级。据估算，通过这类家用电器的节能化升级，每年可节电750亿千瓦时。
Ordinary people may not acutely feel the effects of energy-saving measures by way of macro-control and new energy development. However, you may become aware of the impact of the related state policy when you go into an electronics store. In recent years, on the labels of all kinds of electrical products including major goods like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and smaller ones like vacuum cleaners and rice cookers, you can notice a China Energy Label. Different label colors of green, yellow or red indicate the product’s energy consumption level. If you purchase green low-energy products, they can qualify for subsidies up to 400 Yuan. In other words, although low-energy products are more expensive, the state rewards you for your electricity saving practice. In addition, the government will regularly publish catalogues of tax discounts for energy-saving products, to guide people to join in energy-saving actions and promote the upgrading of energy-saving products. It is estimated that the upgrading of energy-saving electrical products can achieve annual electricity savings up to 75 billion kWh.
和节水问题一样，在节能问题上，也要讲“开源节流”。要控制能源消费总量，市场手段和税费管理手段，只是针对现有能源进行“节流”；而开发绿色能源等技术手段，是“开源”。
Like water-saving, energy-saving also demands adoption of “exploiting resources and reducing consumption”. To control the total consumption of energy, market-based and tax management means are effective only for reducing consumption to present energy; while the development of green energy and other technical initiatives is “exploiting resources”.
实际上，无论是水资源问题，还是能源问题，比起开源节流，还有一个更根本的思路。在第一章的生态系统原理中，我们说没有废物、无需外界能源输入的生态系统是怎样运转的呢？没错，这个新思路就是“循环”。
Actually, one may resort to a more fundamental strategy than “exploiting resources and reducing consumption” concerning resources of water and energy. In the first chapter, we asked how an ecosystem without any waste and external energy input functions. Yes, this new idea is the “circular economy”.
