Activity 3.2.3.1 Solar Power and Energy Policy

 

Six-Point Critical Analysis of Current Event

 

My blog posting is available online at:

 

1. Exploratory                                   

Probe basic facts and knowledge found in the reading. (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.))

 

·        The cost of solar panel installation has decreased by 70%, (Hsu et. al)

·        The U.S is the second largest market for solar power, (Hsu et. Al)

 

2. Diagnostic                                     

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

 

A: The U.S has a lot of open space for solar power plants to be built, the cost to build then has also dropped significantly. Because of this, solar companies are reaching out to farmers to build on portions of their land. In the case of the article, building a solar farm was advantageous to the community.

 

3. Cause and Effect                         

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

 

A: If more solar farms are built, more renewable energy will be available for communities where space is available. Since the benefits outweigh the cons, situations like the one presented in the article will become more popular.

 

4. Priority                                           

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

 

A: Many of these communities for one reason or another are suffering in their economy or local government funds. And the need for clean energy continues to rise.

 

5. Application                                    

Probe for relationships and connect theory to practice. (How does this apply to you? How is this related to culture as we have studied so far?)

 

A: This applies to me as I also live in a sunny state with lots of space. I have also seen a rise in the use of solar panels, from as big as a farm to as small as a house. Which to me is very interesting as I live in a conservative state that I would otherwise think would not be interested in things like renewable energy. So that shows me the benefits outweigh political prejudices in this case.

 

6. Critical                                           

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

 

A: This challenged my thinking and assumptions because I would have never thought that people who live in rural areas would be interested in renewable energy. But after reading the article it changed my perspective entirely, I did not consider that solar energy would be the most beneficial to rural communities as they usually lack what urban areas have more access to. Funding. It gives me some hope that we can find some middle ground when it comes to the topic of climate change.

 

 

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-industryLinks to an external site.