科技英语新闻:Himalayas: future solar power base?

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Himalayas may be one of the most potential regions to provide solar power in future, according to a new research by Japanese scientists quoted by media reports Thursday.

Deserts are usually regarded as the hotbeds for capturing solar power, but some of the loftiest and coldest regions can receive more energy from the sun than some deserts, said Takashi Oozeki and Yutaka Genchi, authors of the research published in Environmental Science and Technology.

To set up solar cells on Himalayas would be challenging. Transmission losses and snowfall should be taken into consideration, said the researchers with the National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology in Japan.

Still, the Himalayan region is attractive, because there are large energy demands in the countries nearby.

"It is near regions with large future energy demands such as China and India," they said.

Other cold regions that can receive solar power include Andes of South America and Antarctica, according to the study.