California Gives Green Light to Space Solar Power Energy beamed down from space is one step closer to reality, now that California has given the green light to an agreement that would see the Pacific Gas and Electric Company buy 200 megawatt(兆瓦)of power beamed down from solar-power satellites beginning in 2016. But some major challenges will have to be overcome if the technology is to be used widely. A start-up company called Solaren is designing the satellites, which it says will use radio waves to beam energy down to a receiving station on Earth. The attraction of collecting solar power in space is the almost uninterrupted sunshine available in eosynchronous(与地球同步的)orbit. Earth-based solar cells, by contrast, can only collect sun light during daytime and when skies are clear. But space-based solar power must grapple(努力克服)with the high cost per kilogram of launching things into space, says Richard Schwartz of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. "If you're talking about it being economically viable or power of the Earth, it's a tough go. " he says. Cal Boerman, Solaren's director of energy services, says the company designed its satellites with a view to keeping launch costs down. "We knew we had to come up with a different, revolutionary design," he says. A patent the company has won describes ways to reduce the systems weight, including using inflatable minors to focus sunlight on solar cells, so a smaller number can collect the same amount of energy. But using minors introduces other challenges, including keeping the solar cells from overheating, says Schwartz. "You have to take care of heat dissipation(散发)because you're now concentrating a lot of energy in one place," he says. According to the company's patent, Solaren's solar cells will be connected to radiators to help keep them cool. Though Boerman says the company believes it can make space-based solar power work, it is not expecting to crowd out other forms of renewable energy. Laws in California and other states require increasing use of renewable energy in coming years, he points out. "To meet those needs, we're going to need all types of renewable energy sources," he says.(2010年)

单选题 Solar-power satellites will use radio waves to beam energy down from space.

单选题 Solaren is going to design 200 solar-power satellites.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：题干大意：Solaren将设计200颗太阳能卫星。文章没有谈到这方面的信息，在第一段中提到200这个数字：…the Pacific Gas and Electric Company buy 200megawatt(兆瓦)of power beamed down from solar power satellites beginning in 2016．从2016年起，太平洋天然气和电力公司将购买200兆瓦的电能，此电能收集于太阳能卫星。所以题干所述与文章信息无关。

单选题 Space-based solar cells could collect solar power only when skies are clear.

单选题 One advantage of space-based solar power system is that it is economical.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：题干大意：太空太阳能电池的优点之一就是省钱。本题给出的信息是错误的。从文章第四段But space-based,solar power must grapple(努力克服)with the high costper kilogram of launching things into space．但太空太阳能必须竭力减少向太空发射每一公斤物品而付出的高昂成本，即成本高的问题。由此可以看出题干所述是错误的。