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A German farmer is successfully growing apples beneath solar power equipment that produces electricity.
一名德国农民成功地在太阳能发电设备下种植苹果。
It is currently harvest season for Christian Nachtwey, who operates an apple farm, or orchard, in the western German town of Gelsdorf.
克里斯蒂安·纳赫特维在德国西部城镇盖尔斯多夫经营着一个苹果园，现在是苹果收获的季节。
A reporter from The Associated Press recently visited Nachtwey as workers loaded up red Elstar apples ready to be shipped to stores.
美联社记者最近采访了纳赫特维，当时工人们正在把准备运往商店的伊思达红苹果装上车。
In addition to apples, Nachtwey's farm also produces a second harvest: electricity.
除了苹果，纳赫特维的农场还生产第二种东西：电。
Many of the farm’s trees grow beneath solar panels that have been producing power during this year's unusually sunny summer.
农场的许多树木生长在太阳能电池板下，在今年异常晴朗的夏天，太阳能电池板一直在发电。
In addition to providing electricity, the panels protect the fruit below with shade.
除了提供电力外，太阳能电池板还为下面的水果提供阴凉。
Nachtwey said the idea behind the farm is simple.
纳赫特维说，农场背后的想法很简单。
The design protects the trees from getting too much sun without reducing the available growing area.
该设计在不减少可利用种植面积的前提下，保护树木免受过多的阳光照射。
“On top of that, there's the solar electricity being generated on the same land,” Nachtwey said.
纳赫特维说：“最重要的是，也可以在同一片土地上利用太阳能发电。”
Putting solar equipment on the same land as crops is becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America.
在欧洲和北美，将太阳能设备与农作物放在同一片土地上正变得越来越流行。
Farmers are finding that this model can make the most of their land, while establishing a second way to earn money.
农民们发现，这种模式可以最大限度地利用他们的土地，同时建立另一种赚钱方式。
But getting the right mix of crop and solar is difficult.
但要将农作物和太阳能正确结合起来是困难的。
Most fruit requires specific growing conditions.
大多数水果都需要特定的生长条件。
Even small changes in the environment can harm crops and cause financial losses.
即使是微小的环境变化也可能会损害农作物并造成经济损失。
Even if the fruit survives, it might turn the wrong color or be less sweet and may be difficult to sell.
即使水果存活下来，它可能会变色或变得不那么甜，可能很难出售。
For this reason, Nachtwey is working with researchers to test which kinds of apples do well under a solar cover.
出于这个原因，纳赫特维正在与研究人员合作，测试哪些种类的苹果在太阳能罩下生长得更好。
He is also investigating which kinds of solar panels work best in the orchard.
他还在调查哪种太阳能电池板在果园里运转得最好。
For testing purposes, Nachtwey covered some of his trees with a traditional netting material.
出于测试目的，纳赫特维用一种传统的网状材料覆盖了他的一些树。
It is normally used to protect sensitive crops from damaging weather events.
它通常用于保护敏感作物免受破坏性天气事件的影响。
Juergen Zimmer is an expert with the area’s agricultural services department.
尤尔根·齐默尔是该地区农业服务部门的专家。
He told the AP that apples grown under the solar covers were a little less sweet this year than those under the nets.
他告诉美联社，今年在网下种植的苹果比在太阳能罩下种植的苹果要甜一些。
But almost no solar-shaded apples got damaged in the intense sunlight that hit the area on July 24.
但在7月24日的强烈阳光照射下，在几乎没有遮荫的地方种植的苹果受损。
In the non-shaded group, about 18 percent of apples suffered sun damage that day, Zimmer said.
齐默尔说，在没有遮荫的那一组中，大约18%的苹果在当天遭受了日光的伤害。
“We need at least two to three full years to record all the weather conditions that might occur,” he added.
他还说：“我们至少需要两到三年的时间来记录所有可能发生的天气状况”。
Zimmer and Nachtwey will also need to look at crop production levels and how the solar covers affect fruit color.
齐默尔和纳赫特维还需要研究作物产量水平以及太阳能罩对水果颜色的影响。
Researchers hope the tests will show that fruit crops perform well under solar panels.
研究人员希望这些测试能表明，水果在太阳能电池板下生长良好。
This could help prevent renewable energy production from competing for valuable agricultural land.
这可能有助于防止可再生能源生产争夺宝贵的农业用地。
That competition has become an increasing concern as the need for renewable energy increases to fight climate change and rising food prices.
为了应对气候变化和不断上涨的食品价格，人们对可再生能源的需求日益增加，这种竞争已成为一个日益令人担忧的问题。
Nachtwey said he could use the solar electricity produced on the farm to power his own buildings and machines.
纳赫特维说，他可以使用农场生产的太阳能电力为自己的建筑和机器供电。
But for now, he plans to provide electricity to homes in the surrounding area.
但目前，他计划为周边地区的家庭供电。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
