Imagine life without electricity. It may sound like a bad dream to you. But it's a fact of life for nearly one billion people around the world.
Those left in the dark generally live in developing countries. Often, they live in poor, rural areas, far from big cities. They could use oil generators (发电机) to make electricity, but most of these villagers can't afford them.
Without electricity, common things in your life are just a distant dream there. People can never watch TV or play with mobile phones. Without power, people can't even keep food from going bad. Farming requires power in all kinds of different ways. Also, people without electricity can't get clean water from the deep wells.
Many companies that make environmentally friendly products seem to have found a solution. They have developed ways to bring renewable energy to places that are "in the dark." It's very different from energy sources such as gas and oil, which are burned to create electricity. Unlike gas and oil, renewable energy never runs out. And there's no costly fuel to keep buying!
Instead, power is generated locally, through windmills, solar panels, and batteries. It is believed that renewable energy use will grow more rapidly in developing countries.
Children in Timor, Indonesia, once spent several hours a day getting water from the village well so that their families could farm, wash and cook. Now, pumps do the work — all powered by windmills. The windmills also provide electricity to nearby farms and homes.
With the help of low-cost renewable energy sources, some of the world's poorest villages now have a renewed sense of hope.
A. Farming there gets very easy.
B. Growing food is a problem, too.
C. People there are looking forward to a bright future.
D. Renewable energy comes from the sun, wind, and water.
E. Running power lines to these distant villages is too expensive.
F. The villagers believe that renewable energy can help fight air pollution.
G. This energy solution doesn't require expensive power lines or power factories.
