#大學英語聽力#
As beneficial as current solar panel technology has been in our quest to switch to renewable energy, such panels can't generate electricity at night.
就像目前的太陽能電池板技術在我們轉向可再生能源方面所起的作用一樣，這種電池板不能在夜間發電。
Now, new research suggests it could be possible to design panels that can operate around the clock.
現在，新的研究表明，設計可以全天候工作的面板是可能的。
Under optimum conditions, at night these specially designed photovoltaic cells could generate a quarter of the energy they produce during the day, according to the new study.
根據這項新的研究，在最佳條件下，這些特別設計的光伏電池在夜間可以產生它們白天產生的四分之一的能量。
To achieve this, we'd need to incorporate thermoradiative cells - devices that generate energy thanks to radiative cooling, where infrared or heat radiation leaves the cell and produces a small amount of energy in the process.
為了實現這一點，我們需要加入熱輻射電池-通過輻射冷卻產生能量的設備，其中紅外線或熱輻射離開細胞並在此過程中產生少量能量。
Thermoradiative cells are already being tested in fields such as manufacturing, where they are used to convert waste heat, such as the high temperatures generated by an engine.
熱輻射電池已經在製造業等領域進行測試，在那裡它們被用來轉換餘熱，例如發動機產生的高溫。
In the case of a night-time solar panel, pointing such a cell at the cold night sky is a way to harness this process.
在夜間太陽能電池板的情況下，將這樣的電池指向寒冷的夜空就是利用這一過程的一種方式。
How thermoradiative cells (right) compare to solar cells (left).
熱輻射電池(右)與太陽能電池(左)的比較。
(Tristan Deppe/Jeremy Munday)
(特里斯坦·德普/傑里米·芒迪)
"We were thinking, what if we took one of these devices and put it in a warm area and pointed it at the sky," says electrical and computer engineer Jeremy Munday, from the University of California, Davis.
加州大學戴維斯分校的電氣和計算機工程師傑里米·芒迪(Jeremy Munday)說：「我們當時在想，如果我們把這些設備中的一個放在一個溫暖的地方，並把它指向天空，會怎麼樣。」
To achieve this effect with infrared radiation, we'd require different kinds of materials to regular solar panels, which tend to focus on visible light (though researchers have also experimented with cells that can capture both).
為了用紅外輻射達到這種效果，我們需要不同種類的材料來製作常規太陽能電池板，這些太陽能電池板傾向於聚焦於可見光(儘管研究人員也試驗了可以同時捕獲兩者的電池)。
The next step is to figure out what mix of materials and electronics might produce an effective panel that can use the night sky and space as a heat sink.
下一步是弄清楚什麼材料和電子設備的混合可以產生一個有效的面板，可以利用夜空和空間作為散熱片。
The underlying maths, however, checks out.
然而，基本的數學知識得到了驗證。