Activity 3.2.3.1 Solar Power and Energy Policy

 

Six-Point Critical Analysis of Current Event


1.      Exploratory

According to the solar farm installation video, a new project is being created with 500 acres of land. This big solar farm will help produce enough energy for about 8,500 EMC households. This project expresses its confidence and support for workers and their community. This project is going on in Georgia, which is currently one of the largest regions for solar installation. More than 300 workers helped build and create this project and in total had about 250,000 man-hours during construction!

2.      Diagnostic

This project is occurring mainly because it will cause the lives of citizens in Georgia to get a much larger amount of their energy from clean, renewable solar-generated electricity.

3.      Cause and Effect

The cause of this project is that it will help citizens as well as workers stay on the cutting edge of new technology and will keep elating the edge cost of technology. Which also allows them to bring very high-quality solar energy at a very affordable cost.

4.      Priority

I wouldn’t say there's an issue or a problem with this topic/project. But I do believe the most important thing about this project is how much of a positive impact this solar farm will have on communities and customers.  The great thing about solar farms is that they don’t affect the environment as much as we think they might. No air is polluted, they are safe to have around crops, and are not harmful to human health.

5.      Application

This applies to me because as a citizen I'd like my state to be as involved and start creating something grand like this. Creating a project where citizens from Texas can benefit a lot. Especially when it’s a renewable resource. I believe that just as much as Georgia communities are benefiting from their project, we should be too. And not just in my state but others around the nation too.

6.      Critical

This challenged my thinking in a way that made me open my eyes and perspective to new topics about solar energy I haven’t learned much about. I was not aware of how much land was needed to create solar farms or how much communities were benefiting from them. This topic changed the way I think about solar panels. Every time Id drive by solar panel farms, I'd never think much about it. But now after reading the article and watching the video, I am much more informed about the causes and effects solar panels/farms have on citizens and communities around Georgia and other states.

 

References:

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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