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How many windows are there in New York City? Whatever your answer is, imagine if we
could create a way to use each of those windows to turn the sun's rays into electricity.
Researchers have designed a specialized solar-cell film that, when applied to the inside of a windows, generates electricity from the sun while also reflecting certain rays to keep the inside of a building cool. It's an important step if city skylines are to someday double as solar
power plants.
Early windows films produced a reddish color that architects found hard to work with and achieved a 6 percent power conversion efficiency rate—newer solar-cell window films can reach a rate of 22 percent.
The number may be lower, but the technology could turn an untapped resource—skyscraper windows—into a power source. Solar cell-infused glass could even be worked into smart phone screens to keep our devices running longer.
In 2015, the city of Portland partnered with a company called Lucid Energy to install power-generating turbines in the city's gravity-fed water pipes. Like a mini hydroelectric plant, water flowing in the pipes spins turbines that generate power. Fifty feet of of these "Lucid Pipes"can generate 1,100 megawatt-hours of electricity every year (enough to power 150 homes), which is then sold back to Portland General Electric.
Cities also produce a lot of excrement, which, like the water, could work harder for us. In Grand Junction, Colorado, residents' poo works harder than most. There, the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant is converting 8 million gallons of human waste into renewable
natural gas to power 40 of the city's heavy-duty vehicles.
The Strata in London is a skyscraper that features built-in wind turbines. We can build functional roadways that include rugged solar cells. Mini wind turbines and solar panels fit nicely on myriad rooftops.
Windows that double as solar cells would be just another role-player in what's turning into
the 21st century urban energy boom.
33. What makes the solar-cell window films special?
A.They can turn the sun's rays into electricity.
B.They can be applied to the inside of windows.
C. They can strengthen the signal of smart phones.
D.They can harvest energy and reflect rays at the same time.
34.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A.Water has other applications. | B.A lot of water has been polluted. |
| C.It will be harder to transport water. | D.Water resources are decreasing gradually. |
| 35. What's the best title for the passage? | |
| A.The future of cities | B.Hidden energy in cities |
| C. Take a new look at water | D.Turn windows into power plants |
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