Section I

_{POWER ENGINEERING}

Unit 1. The Role of Electricity and Its Future Applications ... 11

to make fast decisions принимать бы­стрые решения

access доступ

essential важный, существенный, основной

to pool knowledge объединять знания

implication вовлечение, включение

varied разнообразный

to include включать

to safeguard гарантировать

to threat угрожать

THE ROLE OF ELECTRICITY

And its future applications

In our society parti

• Read the text below attentively and translate it.

At a time when communication technologies are becoming ever more essential for pooling knowledge and making fast decisions, one third of the earth's inhabitants — nearly 2 billion people — still have no ac­cess to a modern energy source! The implications of energy over the coming twenty years are wide and varied and will include issues as crucial as economic development and political stability in numerous countries, safeguarding our local and global environment, controlling global warming, social equity, achieving a balance between rural and urban development policies and so on... In a nutshell, sustainable hu­man development!

Whether we are in charge of policy or the economy, it is our joint responsibility to place the issue of access to clean and cost-effective electricity for all at the centre of the much-needed debate to deter­mine not only what type of progress, democracy and humanism, but also what type of development, our generation will bequeath to the generations yet to come. We should consider the conditions for access to electricity, not in terms of sustainable economic, social and political development for all the inhabitants of this planet.

Wide disparities in access to affordable commercial energy threat to social stability and counter to the concept of human development. Air pollution and emissions of gases threaten our health, degrade our en­vironment and alter the global climate system... The current consump­tion of primary energy increases at a rate of 2% every year, but this growth is very unequal around the world:

• Europe 0,2% year

• USA-Canada 1,7% year

• Developing countries 4,5% year

If the global growth rate continues, it will mean a doubling of ener­gy consumption by 2035 relative to 1998, and a tripling by 2055. Ener­gy consumption is bound to increase.

Physical resources and technical opportunities are available to meet the challenge of sustainable development, but it requires policy chang­es, such as:

• more effective use of energy (buildings, electric appliances, ve­hicles, production processes)

• increased reliance on renewable energy sources

• accelerate development and deployment of new energy techno­logies

- as well as taking into account the costs of the various solutions.

Vocabulary

environment окружающая среда

issue проблема

to determine определить, решить

disparity неравенство, несоответст­вие

sustainable устойчивый

responsibility ответственность

to bequeath завещать

to take into account принимать во внимание

to meet a challenge принять вызов

EXERCISES

1. Find in the text the synonyms for the following words:

1. basic c) manifold e) question g) to leave

2. involving d) to comprise f) to decide h) use

2. Give the Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations from the text:

— energy source

- global warming

— communication technolo­gies

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Section I. Power Engineering

- rural and urban develop- - the global climate system ment policies - current consumption

3. Find out the key words of the text.

4. Give the main idea of every paragraph.

5. Answer the following questions.

1. What issues will the implications of energy include?

2. What is our joint responsibility?

3. What can alter the global climate system?

4. What policy changes are required?

6. Say whether you agree or not with the following statements. In case you don't agree say why.

1. The implications of energy over the coming twenty years are wide and varied.

2. We should consider the conditions for access to electricity in terms of economic, social and political development.

1. Energy consumption is bound to increase.

7. Speak on the future applications of electricity in modern society. Express your point of view, using the following phrases and word combinations:

• in my opinion - to start with - I believe

• to my mind - I think - the thing is that...

• the fact is - as far as I know

PART 2

• Read the text and give the title to it.

Increased electricity use from all sources seems to be at the heart of the solution in search of a more sustainable future. Its growth rate ex­ceeds by far the GDP' growth in most parts of the world and this is bound to continue.

Although electricity cannot be singled out as the most important energy carrier of the future, it is established that:

- the plight² of the 2 billion people without access to modern en­ ergy carriers of any type can only be solved by an aggressive effort of electrification;

Unit 1. The Role of Electricity and Its Future Applications ... 13

• despite enormous efforts of rural electrification programs that reached about 800 million additional people, the unserved pop­ulation has remained about the same in absolute numbers — 2 bil­lion people;

• electrical driven vehicles³ seem to be the only way to achieve zero (or near zero) emission of polutants;

• the information revolution we are going through is entirely de­pendent on electricity and telecommunication.

1 — валовый внутренний продукт; 2 — положение; 3 - транспортное средство

• Look through the interview given by Christos Papoutsis, Member of the European Commission, and give the main idea of it.

The initiative of the Commission is designed to support new, clean and efficient non-nuclear energy technologies from R&D through to demon­stration and market penetration'. Our actions have been driven by three major objectives. First, a very real need, caused by concerns about the potential scarcity² of resources, to improve the security³ of the European energy supply. Second, the necessity to protect both our glo­bal and local environments from the threat of climate change and other forms of environmental damage⁴. Third, a wish to contribute to improv­ing the competitiveness of our industries and the daily lives of our citizens. Much has been achieved towards meeting these objectives, but much re­mains to be done. That is why we must continue to support the research and technological development (R&D) of new energy technologies. The role of an initiative to demonstrate the benefits (преимущества) of new energy technologies, and encourage their uptake, remains vital.

1 - проникновение; 2 - скудность; 3 - безопасность; 4 - разрушение