AS ANYONE who has been to Japan knows, there are strict rules about bathing in onsen, or hot springs. Bodies must be scrubbed beforehand, swimming trunks are banned and tattoos are taboo. The industry’s jurisdiction extends far beyond the tub, however.
去过日本的人都知道，泡温泉有着严格的规定。泡之前身体要先擦洗干净，禁止穿泳衣，而且身上绝对不能有文身。不过，温泉业管的东西可远不止泡澡本身。 For decades, onsen owners have stifled development of a huge potential source of clean energy: geothermal power. They argue that the tapping of heated aquifers in volcanic Japan will drain the onsen dry, increase pollution and ruin a cherished form of relaxation. With Japan on the verge of running out of nuclear power, however, the demand for new sources of energy is becoming harder to resist. 数十年来，温泉业主们都阻碍着地热能这种潜能巨大的清洁能源的发展。他们认为，在处于火山带的日本从高温的蓄水层开发地热能会导致温泉干涸，污染加重，也毁了一种人们喜爱的放松方式。但由于日本的核电站几乎全部停止运作，对新能源的需求越来越迫切了。 Three Japanese companies—Toshiba, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Electric—control more than half of the global market for geothermal turbines, yet Japan itself gets a mere 0.3% of its energy, or 537 megawatts, from its own steam. The industry’s promoters say that Japan sits on about 20,000 MW of geothermal energy, or the equivalent of 20 nuclear reactors, though not all of this could be developed. Since the disaster at Fukushima last year, all but one of the nation’s 54 nuclear reactors are now temporarily suspended, reducing Japan’s power-generating capacity by about a third. That has accelerated the search for alternatives. 东芝、三菱重工和富士电机株式会社这三家日本公司在全球地热汽轮机市场所占份额超过一半，但日本消耗的能源中却仅有0.3%（即537兆瓦）来自地热能。支持发展地热能行业的人说，日本地下蕴藏着约20，000兆瓦的地热能，相当于20个核反应堆，只是并非所有地热能都能被开发出来。自去年福岛核电事故发生后，日本的54个核反应堆有53个目前都暂停运作，使全国发电量减少了大约三分之一。这使人们加快了寻找替代能源的脚步。 In July the government is set to introduce a feed-in tariff that will force the ten regional electricity monopolies to buy renewable energy at above-market rates—though a price has not yet been set. At the end of March the environment ministry said it would abolish guidelines that restrict geothermal development in some national parks. Companies including Idemitsu, a refiner, have quickly announced plans to build a geothermal plant in the mountains of Fukushima prefecture, which is famous for its hot springs. But they expect it will take ten years before they start generating electricity. 7月，日本政府准备采用上网电价制度，强制十个地区电力垄断公司以高于市场价的价格购买可再生能源，不过具体价格未定。3月底，环境省表示将废除限制在某些国家公园开采地热能的方针政策。一些企业（包括石油化工企业日本出光兴产株式会社）迅速宣布计划在福岛县（以温泉闻名）山区建造地热能发电厂，不过它们预计计划要等十年才能实现。 Experts say the long time lag reflects some of the difficulties of developing new business in Japan. Tetsunari Iida, head of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, says the country needs a “strong and wise government” that can persuade the onsen owners and local communities that the industry would not spoil their spas. He also says the country needs companies with strong balance-sheets and a robust risk culture to lead the way. Having the world’s best turbine manufacturers is not enough, he says. 专家称这种长期的滞后反映了在日本发展新行业的一些困难。可持续能源政策研究院负责人Tetsunari Iida说，日本需要一个“强势而明智的政府”来说服温泉业主和地方社区：地热能行业不会破坏他们的温泉。他还说日本需要一些效益好、有着强健的风险文化的企业来带头发展这个行业。只有世界顶尖的地热能汽轮机制造商是不够的，他说道。 To speed things up, Japan could also look overseas for help. Iceland, for instance, generates the same amount of geothermal energy as Japan, though Japan has 400 times more people. A Japanese expert, Hirofumi Muraoka, calculates that one mid-sized northern city, Aomori, with a population about the size of Iceland’s 318,000, could save enormously on imported fuel bills and heating costs by tapping geothermal springs nearby. Besides generating electricity, it could use the hot water from the springs to heat houses, as Iceland does. 日本还可以借鉴海外的经验以加速行业的发展。例如，冰岛的地热能开发量与日本相当，不过人口只有日本的四百分之一。日本专家Hirofumi Muraoka估计，通过开发附近的地热温泉，北部的中等城市青森市（人口318，000，与冰岛相当）可以省下一大笔进口能源和供暖的开销。除了发电，青森市还可以像冰岛一样用温泉的热水为房屋供暖。 Iceland’s ambassador to Japan, Stefan Stefansson, says his country’s experience suggests Japan does not need subsidies to develop geothermal energy. It needs careful management of underground reservoirs, and an entrepreneurial vision. Besides heating houses, he says, Iceland’s geothermal water is used for farming tasty tropical fish such as tilapia. As for the onsen-owners’ protests, he snorts: “Go to your computer and type in “Blue Lagoon”. There you will find the biggest onsen in the world and we have them all over Iceland. How’s that for pollution?” 冰岛驻日大使Stefan Stefansson说根据他们国家的经验，日本政府无须为开发地热能发进行提供补贴，而是需要妥善管理地热能的开采，而且要有企业家的眼界。除了为房屋供暖，他说，冰岛的地热泉水还用于饲养可口的热带鱼，如罗非鱼。谈及温泉业主们的抗议，他哼了一声，不屑道：“打开你的电脑，输入“蓝湖”，你会发现世界上最大的温泉，而且在冰岛到处都是温泉。污染？扯淡！”