Another breakthrough in solar technology, high enough to make steel

A new startup backed by Bill Gates says it has managed to harness solar energy to greater effect than ever before, generating enough heat from a field of mirrored panels to drive the production of cement, steel and glass – processes that are usually reliant on fossil fuels.
一家比尔·盖茨支持的新公司称对太阳能的利用又上了一个新台阶，镜面板产生的热量足够用于生产水泥、钢和玻璃，而这些生产过程通常依赖化石燃料。
In keeping with our modern age, this extra heat and efficiency has been made possible through artificial intelligence: computer software that can perfectly position the mirrors to concentrate sunlight in the most intense way.
由于现代科技的发展，这些额外的热量和效率依赖人工智能实现：计算机软件可以完美地定位镜子，收集最强的阳光。
The company, called Heliogen, claims that its focussed beams of light are able to create a solar oven reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit), something that hasn’t been done before in a commercial setting. That means solar power could replace fossil fuels for a host of industrial jobs, not just providing electricity.
这家名为Heliogen的公司声称聚焦的光束能够产生高达1000摄氏度（1,832华氏度）的太阳能烤箱，从未有这样的技术用于商业用途。这意味着太阳能可以替代化石燃料进行大规模工业生产，而不仅仅是用于发电。
“The world has a limited window to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Bill Gross, CEO and founder of Heliogen. “We’ve made great strides in deploying clean energy in our electricity system. But electricity accounts for less than a quarter of global energy demand.
Heliogen公司首席执行官兼创始人Bill Gross说：“全球大幅降低温室气体排放的方法有限，我们在电力系统中对清洁能源的利用成效显著，但电力需求在全球能源需求中所占比例不到四分之一。”
“Heliogen represents a technological leap forward in addressing the other 75 percent of energy demand: the use of fossil fuels for industrial processes and transportation. With low-cost, ultra-high temperature process heat, we have an opportunity to make meaningful contributions to solving the climate crisis.”
“Heliogen公司代表了在解决剩余75%的能源需求方面的技术飞跃，其中包括工业生产和交通中用到的化石燃料。现在有了低成本、超高温的生产用热量，我们有机会为解决气候危机作出有意义的贡献。”
Energy production through these concentrated solar power plants isn’t a new idea, but Heliogen has been able to get its systems to reach temperatures close to double what’s currently possible, which opens up a host of new opportunities.
通过集中式太阳能发电厂生产能源并不是新想法，但Heliogen公司已经能够利用它的系统达到比目前可实现温度高出近一倍的温度，为我们带来了很多新的可能。