Final essay- solar power PDF

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My final essay for the course, discussing solar power. I got an A on it....

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Running head: INCENTIVES OF URBAN SOLAR POWER

Incentives of Urban Solar Power Sage Chiles Southeast Missouri State University

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Incentives of Urban Solar Power Fires. Drought. Flooding. Water scarcity. Changing ocean chemistry. These are just a handful of the effects humanity is doomed to suffer from at our current rate of anthropogenic climate change. Aggressive mitigation could lower the consequence to just one large magnitude hazard at a time for a given area, while our current efforts will leave us facing three concurrently (Mora 2018). Scientists and economists overwhelmingly agree that the cost of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is far lower than the costs of capturing GHGs or offsetting the damage they do to our planet (Chen 2009). A 2014 study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found electricity generation to be the largest contributor to GHG emissions, making it a good sector to start chipping away at (IPCC 2014). Since developed areas consume more electricity (as well as large shares of other GHG sources) than less developed areas, they should be the most responsible for reducing their use of energy sources that emit GHGs. Photo-voltaic cells (PVCs), more commonly known as solar panels, are likely the best source of renewable energy for urban areas due to their scalability, small profile, and ability to be installed almost anywhere without much equipment or bulk. The implementation of solar powered energy supplies in urban settings would be great for the local economy, the community, and the planet as a whole. Solar panel installations have shown to pay themselves off in an average of a decade, depending on how much sun they get, how big the rig is, and what the going price of energy is in the region. For example, a rooftop rig was installed on a student

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hostel in Singapore and was designed to meet the maximum energy demands of the building. It paid itself off in 11 years at the going rate of 28 cents/kWh. If the system had been designed to meet only half of the peak demand, it could have been paid off in 7 years (Somasundaram 2019). Excess electricity can be sold to a local energy company, which can go towards paying off the system and generating income, or towards buying credit from the energy company for times when solar power is not as viable. The technologies behind PVCs are getting cheaper and cheaper as research progresses, leaving installation and maintenance as a more firm cost. While this cost may be high, a business within the community can be hired for the job, thus boosting the local economy. As for a source of funding, there are many options. Tax dollars could be rerouted from a less important project, or a new tax could be placed, perhaps on the purchase of carbon-based energy. A loan could be taken out for the project, or investors could be promised a percentage of profits once the principal is paid off. One concern frequently raised during discussions of transitioning to renewable resources is if it will hurt fossil fuel producers; while their intentions may be good, this mindset continues to hold back progress (Alexander 2018). Those working in the fossil fuel industry can hold similar positions in a renewable energy industry, such as maintenance, managing, and researching. Building and installation of renewable energy plants will offer many jobs, as will the dismantling, disposal, and remediation of fossil fuel plants no longer in use. Additionally, it is important to remember that many industries and practices in our history have been stopped, such as asbestos insulation and leaded gasoline, and while there initially is a challenging adjustment period, humanity carries on in our new, better way of life.

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Many prospective solar clients are concerned about the placement and aesthetics of their system. The easiest placement option would be on rooftops, due to them being flat, large, and often uninterrupted. This would also be the most inconspicuous for those not keen on having the panels be seen. Sides of buildings make good candidates but get slightly less insolation due to their position relative to the sun (Eicker 2012). Solar panels are also able to be built into pavement so that they may be walked on and not get damaged, thus they could be installed on a sidewalk, perhaps to power the streetlamps adjacent to them. Being placed in a highly visible spot may provide a morale boost for citizens, reminding them to make eco-conscious decisions and making them feel proud of their community. Newer companies are producing panels that can be a desired color, given a gemstone look, or even made to look like roofing shingles or tiles (Voice Group 2019). This could allow them to be incorporated into a large piece of art, or to blend in seamlessly with part of a building. A 2019 study led by Shimaa Samer modeled the viability and economics of installing solar panels along the rail lines of Cairo’s rapid transit network. The researchers found that adding PVCs along just 13% of the total length of the rails could generate 61% of the electricity needed to run the trains, and lowered the overall operation costs (Samer 2019). This is an amazing concept, as making public transit cheaper and more efficient would take personal cars off the road, further reducing the amount of GHGs produced and opening up more city space for walkers and bikers. Replacing fossil fuels with renewables will also reduce the amount of pollutants and toxins being put into the local ecosystem, which would lead to an increase of flora and fauna, making the city more beautiful and boosting enjoyment and patronage of local

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parks. An attractive consideration is for two or more cities to work together on their solar implementation. Neighboring cities will most likely have very similar climates, infrastructure, and usage profiles, meaning they could share their planning and design efforts and reduce the amount of work needed to be done by each party. They can also work together to reduce costs by bargaining and buying in bulk (Byrne 2017). Perhaps one city is best suited for solar while the other is better suited for a different kind of renewable energy, allowing them to share their generated electricity on days when the other city is struggling to meet demand. Despite the overwhelming evidence, some people maintain that climate change is not actually happening, and thus we do not need to worry about transitioning away from carbon-based fuels. Setting climate change aside, carbon-based fuels also have many other harmful side effects on human and environmental health that we could certainly do without. For example, many studies have found that fossil fuel-based electricity generation plants are more often than not built next to neighborhoods consisting of people of color and those with lower incomes (Perera 2017). Pollution and toxins build up in the air, water, and soil of these communities, constantly poisoning the people living here and causing serious health effects. This widens inequities and prevents these communities from achieving the same economic advancement that is attainable for those living in higher-income areas. Similarly, it is well known that less developed countries are acutely vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change. In 2016, a study was done by Althor et al. that compared the greenhouse gas emissions of a country against its susceptibility to things such as sea-level rise, drought, and intense storms. A very strong correlation was found showing that developed and urban areas are spewing

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out greenhouse gasses while other countries who have lower emissions are forced to bear the consequences. This finding proves that urban areas have a moral obligation to the rest of the entire planet to be more responsible about their greenhouse gas emissions (Althor 2016). A meta-analysis done in 2008 found that 88-97% of toxic and greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation could be eliminated if our current fossil fuel-based grid were completely replaced with solar power (Fthenakis 2008). This may sound lofty or “too good to be true”, but it is likely a realistic estimate and worth aiming for. If solar panels can save us from glacier melting, sea-level rise, food insecurity, intensified natural disasters, and ecosystem collapse, it is hard to argue against their implementation. Fossil fuels are finite and are projected to be completely depleted within this century, thus it is a good idea to get started on converting to renewable energy now while fossil fuels can still be used as a backup while ironing out any wrinkles in the implementation plan. For those who just don’t like solar panels, other renewable energy sources are also great to consider and can work in almost any community. The time for progress is now, and the best day to start is today.

References Chen, C, et al. (2009). Weighing the Costs and Benefits of State Renewables Portfolio Standards in the United States: A Comparative Analysis of State-Level Policy Impact Projections. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13:3. 552-566. IPCC (2014) Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental

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Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Voice Group. (2019). Solar Panel Aesthetics: Solar Systems that look good. Retrieved from https://nakedsolar.co.uk/solar-pv/solar-panel-aesthetics/ Perera, F. P. (2017). Multiple threats to child health from fossil fuel combustion: impacts of air pollution and climate change. Environmental Health Perspectives 125:141–148; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP299 Fthenakis, V. M., Kim, H. C., and Alsema, E. (2018). Environmental Science & Technology 42 (6), 2168-2174. DOI: 10.1021/es071763q Somasundaram, S., & Tay, A. A. O. (2019). Performance study and economic analysis of photo-voltaic thermal system under real-life thermal loads in tropical climate. Sustainable Environment Research, 29(1). doi: 10.1186/s42834-019-0040-5 Althor, G., Watson, J. E. M., & Fuller, R. A. (2016). Global mismatch between greenhouse gas emissions and the burden of climate change. Scientific Reports, 6(1). doi: 10.1038/srep20281

Mora, C., et al. (2018). Broad threat to humanity from cumulative climate hazards intensified by greenhouse gas emissions. Nature Climate Change, 8(12), 1062– 1071. doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0315-6 Samer, S., & Seoud, T. A. E. (2019). Environmental Simulation Model For The Assessment Of Solar Energy Use In Greater Cairo Metro. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management, 75(1). doi: 10.5755/j01.erem.75.1.21747

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Byrne, J., Taminiau, J., Kim, K. N., Lee, J., & Seo, J. (2017). Multivariate analysis of solar city economics: impact of energy prices, policy, finance, and cost on urban photovoltaic power plant implementation. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 6(4). doi: 10.1002/wene.241 Alexander, R. (2018). Would transitioning to renewable energy hurt the economy? Retrieved from https://bulletin.kenyon.edu/article/would-transitioning-torenewable-energy-hurt-the-economy Eicker, U. (2012). Renewable Energy Sources within Urban Areas: Results From European Case Studies. ASHRAE Transactions, 118(1), 73–80.

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