■荷蘭全國火車從今年1月起以風電發動。圖為該國NS公司火車。 網上圖片【原文】下文摘錄自香港《文匯報》2017年1月12日報道：
電氣化火車（electric trains）是能源消耗較少的交通工具，但從新一年開始，荷蘭（Holland/the Netherlands）的火車便變得更加環保（environmentally friendly）。
1月10日，荷蘭最大的國營鐵路公司NS宣佈，當地所有火車自元旦日起，已經100%改用風力（wind power）發電推動，為全球首個達成此目標的國家。
NS早於2015年與荷蘭電力公司Eneco達成協議，原定於明年達成目標，結果早了一年實現（one year ahead of schedule）。有不少環保人士（environmentalists）希望，荷蘭的成功能夠啟發其他國家，在鐵路系統（railway system）引入風力發電。
年用電量等同首都
荷蘭素來有風車之國（land of windmills）之稱，風力發電是當地主要電力來源之一。NS於2015年與Eneco簽訂10年合約，希望減低火車用電的碳排放量（carbon emission），目標是在2018年1月前，將全國火車改用風力發電推動。
截至去年，全荷蘭75%的火車已經改用風力發電，加上當地、比利時（Belgium）和芬蘭（Finland）的風力發電站（wind farms）提早落成，提供更多電力，令兩間公司提前一年於本月1日達成100%目標。
目前荷蘭全國火車每年大約使用12億千瓦特小時（kWh）電力，約等於首都（capital）阿姆斯特丹（Amsterdam）所有家庭全年用電量。
冀乘客人均耗電降35%
雖然荷蘭的風力發電系統每年能夠產生74億千瓦時（1千瓦時即俗稱的「1度電」）的電量，但經常供（supply）不應求（demand），例如去年的風力發電用電量便高達125億千瓦特小時，因此需要向鄰近國家購買風力能源。
隨着荷蘭近年致力投資發展可再生能源（renewable energy sources），此次全國火車全面使用風力發電，將有助大大減低當地交通產生的碳足印（carbon footprint）。
一些支持可再生能源的人士期望，荷蘭此例能夠鼓勵美國等國家增加使用風力發電的列車。
NS及Eneco在共同營運的網站表示，他們下一個目標是於2020年前，將乘客人均耗電量自2005年水平降低35%。
Dutch trains are 100% wind-powered, one year ahead of plan
【譯文】Electric trains are a means of transport with low energy consumption, and it has become more environmentally friendly from this year onwards: the national railway company NS announced that since January 1, 100% of its trains in the country would be running on wind energy.
The Netherlands is the first country around the globe to achieve this goal.
NS signed an agreement with the Dutch electricity company Eneco two years ago, but it reached the goal one year ahead of schedule. Some environmentalists have hoped that the Dutch success can inspire other countries to introduce wind-powered trains.
Annual consumption equals that of Amsterdam
The Netherlands is known as the "land of windmills", in which wind power has long been an important source of energy. NS signed a 10-year deal with Eneco in 2015 aiming to cut carbon emission and setting January 2018 as the target for shifting to 100% renewable power sources in its trains. They reached 75% last year, and as the local and foreign wind farms, in Belgium and Finland, were completed earlier than planned, boosting electricity generation, the two companies were able to advance the schedule by one year.
The electric trains use roughly 1.2 billion kWh of energy every year, equal to the annual electricity consumption of all households in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.
Next to cut passenger consumption
While the annual wind power generation in the country amounts to 7.4 billion kWh, the demand far exceeds the supply. Wind power usage last year reached 12.5 billion kWh, which forced the Dutch government to buy wind energy from nearby countries where there were surpluses.
The country has invested vastly in developing renewable energy sources in recent years. Having all its trains wind-powered is seen as a major step in reducing the carbon footprint of the local transport system.
Environmentalists have hoped that this could serve as an example for other countries such as America.
NS and Eneco said on a joint website that they would work to cut the energy consumed per passenger by 35% by 2020 compared with that in 2005. ■龐嘉儀
Exercise
1. 除了荷蘭，使用風力發電的主要國家還有哪些？
2. 哪個國家於19世紀末建立了世界首座風力發電站？
3. 香港首座風力發電站位於哪裡？
4. 可再生能源除了風力外，還有哪些？
5. 中國哪項大型水利工程運用了水力發電？
Answer
1. 丹麥、德國、美國、中國、日本等
2. 丹麥（Denmark）
3. 南丫島（Lamma Island）
4. 水力（hydropower）、太陽能（solar power）、潮汐能（tidal power）、地熱能（geothermal power）等
5. 長江三峽大壩（Three Gorges Dam）