1.The clean-energy business is turning into the next big investment boom, in which risks are often ignored. Until recently, recalls Charlie Gay, a 30-year veteran of the solarpower business, venture capitalists were far too busy catering to captains of the information-technology industry to waste time on "hippy-dippy tree-huggers" like himself. But now the tree-huggers are in the ascendant and the IT barons are busy investing in clean-energy technology.
翻译：清洁能源行业正成为下一轮投资大热潮，而风险则经常被忽略。在太 阳能行业摸爬滚打了30年的查理，盖伊回忆说，直到不久前，风险资本家们 还一直奔忙于迎合IT巨子，没有时间浪费给像他这样的“不切实际的环境保 护论者”。但目前环境保护论者风头正旺，IT巨子们开始忙于投资清洁能源行业。
2.Investors are falling over themselves to finance start-ups in clean technology, especially in energy. Venture Business Research reckons that investment in the field by venture capitalists and private-equity firms has quadrupled in the past two years, from some $500 m in 2004 to almost $2 billion so far this year. The share of venture capital going into clean energy is rising rapidly.
翻译：投资者们竭尽全力纷纷投资于从事环保技术的新创公司，特别是能源 公司。据风险企业研究有限公司估计，在过去两年中，风险资本家和私人股 本公司在该领域的投资已翻了四倍，从2004年的5亿美元到目前的近20亿 美元。进入清洁能源领域的风投资本的比例正快速攀升。
3.Clean-energy fever is being fuelled by three things: high oil prices, fears over energy security and a growing concern about global warming. The provision of energy, the industry's cheerleaders say, will change radically over the coming decades. Polluting coal and gas-fired power stations will give way to cleaner alternatives such as solar and wind; fuels derived from plants and waste will replace petrol and diesel; and small, local forms of electricity generation will replace big. power stations feeding far-flung grids. Eventually, it is hoped, fuel cells running on hydrogen will take the place of the internal combustion engine which is available everywhere. It is a bold vision, but if it happens very slowly, or only to a limited extent, supporters argue that it will still prompt tremendous growth for firms in the business.
翻译：“清洁能源热”由三件事情激起：髙油价、能源安全恐慌以及对全球 变暖与日俱增的担忧。该行业的主要支持者认为，能源供应状况在末来的数 十年里将会发生根本性的改变。导致污染的煤炭发电站和天然气发电站将让 位于更清洁的替代能源，如太阳能和风能;从植物和垃圾中提取的燃料将代 替汽油和柴油;电力供应的小型化、本地化将取代大电站、大电网。最终，我们希望氢燃料电池能够代替无所不在的内燃机。这是一个大胆的设想，但 是，即使进程缓慢，或者范围有限，支持者们认为它仍将激发该行业公司的巨大增长。
4.Analysts confidently predict the clean-energy business will grow by 20%—30% a year for a decade. Jefferies, an investment bank that organized a recent conference on the industry in London, asked participants how soon solar power would become competitive with old-fashioned generation technologies: in 2010, 2015 or 2020. About three-quarters of those present, one visitor happily observed, were "check-writers". This "megatrend", the keynote speaker advocated, "may be the biggest job and wealth-creation opportunity of the 21st century."
翻译：分析人士满怀信心，他们预计在今后10年内清洁能源产业将会以年均 20—30%的幅度增长。投资银行Jefferies银行最近在伦敦组织了一场关于清洁能源产业的讨论会。在会上，他们问与会者：与老式能源技术相比，太阳能到什么时候才能突显它的竞争力，2010年、2015年，还是2020年。一位大会来宾欣喜地发现，大约四分之三的与会者都是“愿意为此投资者”。大会主要发言人不由地说：“这个大趋势或许是21世纪的就业机会和创富机会。”
5.Such exaggeration might remind people of the dotcom bubble. But clean-energy advocates insist growth is sustainable because of the likes of Mr. Schwarzenegger. The Governor is a hero in green circles because of his enthusiasm for environmental regulation. He easily won reelection partly because he seized on global wanning as a concern and signed into law—America's first wide-ranging scheme to cap greenhouse-gas emissions.
翻译： 如此夸张的景象可能会让人们想起网络泡沫。然而，诸如施瓦辛格先 生这样的环保支持者使提倡者们坚信增长是可持续的。身为州长的他对环保法规的热情，使他成为环保圈里的英雄。他之所以能轻松连任，部分原因就是他把握住了公众对全球变暖的忧虑，并使之上升为法律，他签署了美国第 一个大规模控制温室气体排放的方案。
