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The method of making electricity from the Earth’s natural heat has been moving forward quietly for many years.
利用地球自然热能发电的方法已经悄然发展了许多年。
Recently, that effort has reached a milestone with a big, new project.
最近，这一努力通过一个新的大型项目达到了一个里程碑。
Southern California Edison announced it will buy electricity from Fervo Energy, a company based in Houston, Texas.
南加州爱迪生公司宣布，它将从总部位于得克萨斯州休斯敦的Fervo能源公司购买电力。
Fervo uses geothermal energy to produce electric power.
Fervo利用地热能来发电。
The company is going to drill up to 125 geothermal wells in the southwestern state of Utah.
该公司将在犹他州西南部钻探多达125口地热井。
The goal is to produce 400 megawatts of electricity.
目标是生产400兆瓦的电力。
That is being described as enough to supply power to 400,000 homes.
根据描述，这足以供应40万户家庭的电力。
Wilson Ricks is an energy systems researcher at Princeton University in New Jersey.
威尔逊·里克斯是新泽西州普林斯顿大学的能源系统研究员。
He said if the business deal helps geothermal technology, it could be “massively impactful for global decarbonization.”
他表示，如果这笔商业交易有助于地热技术，它可能会“对全球脱碳产生巨大影响”。
The term decarbonization means using machines and methods that do not produce carbon-based substances when they are used.
所谓脱碳，是指使用不产生碳基物质的机器和方法。
New geothermal companies are using the drilling technology that oil and gas industries developed.
新的地热公司正在使用石油和天然气行业开发的钻井技术。
They drill down into areas where underground rock is very hot to create steam, which can be used for power production.
他们深入地下岩石非常热的区域进行钻探，以产生蒸汽，这些蒸汽可用于发电。
Engineers have been working on this technology for many years.
工程师们已经研究这项技术很多年了。
The United States is among the world’s leaders in geothermal energy.
美国是世界上在地热能领域处于领先地位的国家之一。
But the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says it accounts for less than half of one percent of the nation’s electricity.
但美国能源信息管理局（EIA）表示，它占全国电力的不到0.5%。
Fervo is among the first companies to drill in what are called geothermal reservoirs.
Fervo是首批在所谓的地热储层中钻探的公司之一。
The EIA describes these as areas of very hot rock that are fairly close to the surface of the Earth — between one and three kilometers.
美国能源信息署将这些地区描述为非常热的岩石区域，它们相当接近地球表面——在一到三公里之间。
In 2021, the company signed an agreement with Google to drill three wells in Nevada.
2021年，该公司与谷歌签署了一项协议，在内华达州钻探三口井。
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the project began supplying power to the Nevada electricity system, or grid, in November.
美联社（AP）报道称，该项目于11月开始向内华达州电力系统或电网供电。
The new development in Utah is called the Cape Station project.
犹他州的新开发项目被称为海角站项目。
It is about 320 kilometers south of Salt Lake City.
它在盐湖城以南约320公里处。
It is expected to begin providing electricity as early as 2026.
预计最早将于2026年开始供电。
California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild said his state supports electricity that does not release carbon when it is produced.
加利福尼亚能源委员会主席大卫·霍克希尔德表示，他所在的州支持生产时不释放碳的电力。
He said geothermal power works well with solar farms to provide steady electricity when the wind is not blowing, or clouds block the sun.
他说，当没有风或云层遮挡太阳时，地热能与太阳能发电场配合良好，可提供稳定的电力。
He believes this is important to ensure reliable energy as California cuts the use of oil, gas and coal.
他认为，在加利福尼亚州减少石油、天然气和煤炭使用的情况下，这对于确保可靠的能源供应非常重要。
Sarah Jewett is vice president of Fervo. She called the deal “exciting.” J
莎拉·朱厄特是Fervo公司的副总裁。她称这笔交易“令人兴奋”。
ewett said the deal “…isn’t a niche energy resource going to a niche use.”
朱伊特表示，这笔交易“……不是一种利基能源用于利基用途的。”
The word “niche” describes something that has very limited availability and limited use in the real world.
“利基”这个词描述的是在现实世界中可用性和用途非常有限的东西。
I’m Anna Matteo.
“我是安娜·马特奥。
