Activity 3.2.3.1 Solar Power and Energy Policy

Six-Point Critical Analysis of Silicon Ranch Hazelhurst II Project

1. Exploratory                                  

●      Dalton, a northern Georgia city typically known for being the capital in the world’s flooring market, has invested $150 million dollars in the largest solar panel system in the Western hemisphere.

●      Hanwha Q Cells America set up a solar panel assembly plant in Dalton in 2018 and has employed 600 Americans to run the assembly lines.

●      Solar energy is now cost competitive to traditional forms of energy since the price to install has fallen 70% in the last decade.

●      The U.S. is second in the solar energy market below China.

●      Silicon Ranch bought land from southern Georgia farms in Early County to build more solar panels.

2. Diagnostic                                    

The reason that Georgia has invested large sums of money and land into solar energy despite not having a renewable mandate is because in Georgia there is lots of sunshine, lots of land, and cheaper, more advanced solar technology. Georgia’s Green Power EMC teamed up with Nashville’s Silicon Ranch to build Hazlehurst Projects I and II in the sunniest place in Georgia with new sun-tracking technology to maximize energy captured and produced.

3. Cause and Effect    

●      Lower electricity rates due to renewable energy access in new regions.

●      Assembly of panels and construction provides over 900 jobs.

●      Solar panel installation in Early County has brought badly needed tax revenue, an estimated $8 million in the next 25 years.

●      Land taken up by solar panels means less land for farming or raising cattle. (Although Clay County’s Will Harris has partnered with Silicone Ranch to make plans to rotate cattle and sheep in order to fertilize the land, prevent erosion, and potentially sequester carbon into the soil.)

4. Priority                                          

The most important issue regarding the Hazelhurst Projects would be the lack of concern or desire for renewable resources as a way to combat the human population’s carbon footprint and reduce the looming threat of global warming. Although the solar projects have brought about a substantial amount of renewable energy and increased interest in the matter, it was due to the driving factors in the market rather than a concern for our planet. Most attitudes in the United States are indifferent to where their electricity comes from, as long as it’s cheap.

5. Application                                   

In Georgia, the 500 acres of panels don’t create any pollution or smell, and the customers of Green Power EMC receive cheaper electricity. Because the farmland was already cleared before construction began, no animals or habitats were harmed. Facebook, a very popular communication website, is one of the customers of the solar energy being produced in Georgia as they strive to move to 100% renewably sourced energy for their operations. For many people in Georgia including residents, farmers, and business owners, the solar panels are nothing but a win.

6. Critical                                          

It makes me happy to know that, even if the reasoning behind the move towards renewable energy is not due to changing opinions but rather due to the markets demand for energy, we are still taking steps towards preserving the Earth and using what resources are readily available to us in a clean and pollution-free way. Hopefully more land can be converted into a place for solar panels, and if production stays cheap, we can begin to have more solar panels in places like on top of homes, businesses, and more common areas. If more awareness is brought to how cost effective and work-free solar panels are, we may see a shift in where we are getting our electricity and energy into a more clean, Earth-friendly way.

Reference:

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

Silicon Ranch Hazlehurst II Project on Georgia Farm Bureau TV (Links to an external site.) from Silicon Ranch (Links to an external site.) on Vimeo