Activity 3.2.3.1 Solar Power and Energy Policy

Reading Material: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/733795962/how-georgia-became-a-surprising-bright-spot-in-the-u-s-solar-industry

Video:  https://vimeo.com/217896697


 1. Exploratory

Probe basic facts and knowledge found in the reading and video. (What research evidence supports _________? Type up several facts and basic knowledge from the reading. Relate this to what you find in other resources, prior activities for stronger scores.))

Georgia is becoming the leading state for solar energy with the development of the largest solar plant in the Western hemisphere. This is a bit surprising given that Georgia does not have a state-level mandate for renewable energy. 

“Installation of solar energy has fallen more than 70% in the past decade… becoming cost competitive with traditional forms of energy.” (Hsu, A., & Kelly, 2019, para. 14)

Large solar power plants can come together quickly, they can be fully built within a year.

With these projects popping up around Georgia, it is bringing a lot of tax revenue to high-poverty rate counties. In Earl County alone, they are estimating $8 million in tax revenue in the next 25 years. 

Harris, a farmer in Georgia, is working with solar projects to help the company upkeep the land and let cattle and sheep graze the land, creating a symbiotic relationship between solar panel land and farmland. 

 

2. Diagnostic

Probe motives or causes. (Why? Tell your reader why this occurs. Explain the causes in detail.)

The most obvious motive is to create renewable resources that can provide power to residents and other companies, reducing the carbon footprint of that state. 

Facebook is a large cause of how many solar panels are being built in Georgia, buying 1,400 acres of land that will power its data center. 

 

3. Cause and Effect

Causal relationships between ideas, actions, or events. (If __________ occurs, what happens?)

As solar energy becomes increasingly widespread, we will see less greenhouse gases put out into our atmosphere. 

Since the number of traditional farmers are decreasing around the country, more land is becoming available to use for sustainable renewable energy.

Farmers can have a symbiotic relationship with solar panel grids, allowing cattle and other farm animals to graze the land surrounding the solar panels. This will help keep the land tidy and neat, and let farmers utilize the land as well.

 

4. Priority

Seek to identify the most important issue. (What is the most important issue?)

Through this article the most important issue is reducing the carbon footprint of Georgia and utilizing unused land to create renewable energy plants. Alongside this, another issue would be the steep prices for land in this state.

 

5. Application

Probe for relationships and connect theory to practice. (How does this apply to you?)

Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to me in any direct way, since I live in the state of Washington. Indirectly, it applies to my future in creating a clean and efficient source of energy that is not producing greenhouse gases that will pollute the air and atmosphere. Hopefully, since Georgia is a non-mandated state, we will see progression across the United States in implementing renewable energy that will help the longevity of our lives and planet.

 

6. Critical

Analyze how this challenges your thinking/assumptions. (How did this change your thinking? Did it? Why?)

This didn’t really change my way of thinking since I have always been an advocate to turn unused land into hubs for renewable energy. This goes for solar, wind, hydro, etc. 

This article did surprise me that Georgia was the leading state of solar energy in the Western Hemisphere, considering they don’t have any state-wide mandates for renewable energy. It gives me hope that other states will follow Georgia’s lead, and we will see a vast improvement in our renewable energy sources nationwide.



Hsu, A., & Kelly, M. L. (2019, June 24). How solar grew in Georgia despite lack of mandates on renewable energy. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/733795962/how-georgia-became-a-surprising-bright-spot-in-the-u-s-solar-industry


Silicon Ranch. (2017). Silicon Ranch Hazlehurst II Project on Georgia Farm Bureau TVLinks to an external site. [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/217896697

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