Hernandez, B. (2020, February 20). Job Growth in Solar Energy Will Help Boost “TAN” ETF. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.etftrends.com/core-equity-channel/job-growth-in-solar-energy-will-help-boost-tan-etf/

Declining costs and a federal tax credit are not only boosting solar panel sales, but also encouraging customers to engage in the market themselves as more job opportunities become available. Rather than using tariffs, the trade technique has worked surprisingly well for solar energy companies, and eliminated a lot of the prejudice against it. It is mentionable, though, that solar energy cannot be the only renewable source used in order to counter climate change, as others such as wind power can be simultaneously effective.

This article relates to environmental science because it squashes concerns of buyers about solar panels, and rather assures people that it is a choice worthy of their money. The article intends to provide statistics that back the need for new renewable energy techniques, and further suggests that a combination of multiple is ideal to counter climate change in the end. 

Wood, J. (2020, February 28). Renewable energy could power the world by 2050. Here’s what that future might look like. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/renewable-energy-future-carbon-emissions/

Through a study that divided the globe into twenty-four separate regions based off their emissions, researchers were able to predict steps necessary for efficiently countering climate change. One option was creating a supergrid of solar panels, that would potentially run from Canada to Mexico. This structure would be responsible for both lowering the cost and storage requirements of a new renewable energy system entirely. Because solar power could account for at least seventy-nine of the world’s energy demand, it is also predicted that a majority of countries will no longer use oil. 

This article relates to environmental science because it predicts what the future of the would could look like if switches were made to renewable energy. It mentions the widespread use of solar panels, which is only beginning to happen now. By describing the benefits of solar power and exactly how much it would cost and affect the planet, the public is highly encouraged to do their part and take action. 

Zaremba, H. (2020, March 5). China Could Start A New Solar Price War. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/China-Could-Start-A-New-Solar-Price-War.html

With investments in clean energy booming, China still sits at the center of it all and leads the global solar supply chain. Knowing this, though, China intends to add forty gigawatts to their yearly capacity– a jump large enough to start a price war. This will most likely cause an overproduction of solar panels, which could potentially encourage the rest of the globe to follow suit in a shift to renewable energy. 

This article relates to environmental science because it shows a side of the story to overcoming climate change that many are already worried about. By exposing how solar energy could bring slight downfall, yet overpowering that concern with data describing its potential benefit, people are more persuaded to change their impact and switch to solar as well. Large industries like China being actively involved encourages many others to follow. 

Bloomberg. (2020, February 28). Coronavirus could slow the world’s solar-energy revolution. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-02-28/china-solar-coronavirus

Due to the coronavirus scare, solar energy companies are finding necessary resources scarce worldwide. As more and more industries shut down temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus, less workers are available to make progress on solar energy. Concerns over oversea operations and and spikes in pricing are also brewing, as the outbreak continues. Oversea plants are unable to receive materials from China, as most flights are cancelled. Photovoltaic production limits are rapidly reaching their peak in many countries and industries are unsure how and when the solar companies will bounce back, even though wind turbines already have. 

This article relates to environmental science because it suggests that as more news over coronavirus arises, less progress will be made towards conversion to solar energy. As materials are blocked from being flown or shipped to other countries from impacted nations such as China, the entire world faces a downfall in production. This decline only harms the environment, as a decrease in production means a smaller effort to significantly reduce the global ecological footprint.

Wood, L. (Ed.). (2020, February 24). Global Solar Energy Market Estimated to Grow in Value from $52.5 Billion in 2018 to $223.3 Billion by 2026 – ResearchAndMarkets.com. Retrieved from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200224005676/en/Global-Solar-Energy-Market-Estimated-Grow-52.5

The global solar energy market is expected to jump around twenty percent, reaching $223.3 billion by 2026. As government incentives rise and climate change threats worsen, interest in solar panels suddenly skyrockets. Rooftop installation and decreased water footprint are ultimately responsible for the sudden surge, and the solar market itself is demand driven. The photovoltaic system is simultaneously expected to experience a twenty-five percent increase, which will further benefit the widespread use of solar panels. 

This article relates to environmental science because it mentions growing global concern over climate change, as other countries and nations are becoming aware how truly urgent the matter is. This long-awaited realization is responsible for the rising profits solar panel industries are starting to face, thus showing promise for the future environment if more solar energy is used worldwide. 

Many discussions regarding solar energy sound “too good to be true” to customers as the benefits appear far from realistic. Convincing customers that the cost of installing solar panels eventually would pay for itself was hard enough, and now builders propose that building too many solar panels is better than solar panels alone. Further, the increasing rate of wildfires and power outages in California is substantially helping builders’ dreams appear within reach. When power grids fail from weather conditions, solar storage is a quick and simple alternative, yet much of the state still relies on battery backup systems that have not yet proven failure. Despite this, as rolling blackouts caused by PG&E become more common, customers’ interest in energy storage quickly rises as they incorporate solar systems. In order to truly convince the public, though, solar companies promise four future aspects of solar power systems: energy independence from competitors, more price range choices, protection from power outages, and a substantial effort to save the future of the planet. Before environmentally-beneficial results can take place, the only necessities remaining are public agreement and the increased building of solar farms.

As the rate of wildfires seems to increase substantially with excess power usage, installing solar panels and added storage makes complete sense. Not only will the use of solar panels themselves help to better the planet, but reducing the risk of wildfires also saves forests and wildlife, in addition to ensuring human safety. Because the forced power outages are highly inconvenient, customers can be quickly persuaded to purchase solar energy to give them a more reliable and less dangerous backup battery system, while simultaneously reducing their ecological footprint. As traumatic as wildfires are, they have opened the public’s eyes to the need for environmentally-friendly systems, as our current methods of providing power are wrecking more havoc to ourselves and our planet. Thus, this article relates to environmental science as it encourages a shift in energy resources and pushes for excess solar panel installment, to ensure a better planet and better electricity in general.

The one problem with adding renewable energy sources is the lack of correlation between the demand and the actual capabilities. In June, California set the record for the most solar energy on the main grid of the entire state, and the record for the most energy taken offline. Although California is recognized for being ambitious with their renewable energy use, their solar farms are producing far more energy than the average american household needs due to extreme heat temperatures and sun. Worried over wasting excess energy, lawmakers are trying to find ways to preserve the added sunlight, yet such excess energy might prove beneficial for ratepayers. By having too many solar panels than needed, the prices of electricity remain relatively low. Building solar panels has become so cheap that overbuilding it is actually beneficial as the extra power can replace the need for batteries altogether. Excess energy can become extremely useful on cloudy days, when there is no sun to supply power. By 2030, California plans to have 100% climate-friendly energy, encouraging other states to follow in suit as they watch California’s progress. States are further intrigued as California already uses the most energy, yet has the lowest electricity bills due to solar farm use. Essentially, overbuilding solar panels is far from harmful. It offers quick storage of energy far cheaper than batteries, and can help California reach the goal of fossil fuel replacement, with the help of neighboring state involvement.   

The sole argument against solar panels is their inefficiency during moments without sunlight. However, this article directly counters this as with increasing temperatures, a lack of solar power is not an issue whatsoever. Because an excess of solar energy can not only be beneficial in times of cloudy weather, but is also cheaper than the typical backup battery method, customers are quickly interested. Further, as California continues overbuilding solar farms in order to encourage other states to follow along, influence spreads surprisingly fast. Once neighboring states copy California and focus on building not only solar and wind farms but more than necessary, the message of making all power environmentally-friendly is obvious. Therefore, the article encourages a welcoming mindset towards solar energy, so much that installing excess is encouraged to further promote the project across the entire country. 

Los Angeles, California is proposing to install a battery to back up a solar farm that could potentially power 7 percent of the city’s electricity for under two cents per kilowatt. To quantify this amount, such a battery would be cheaper than any fossil-fuel generated power. As fossil-fuel dependent companies such as coal companies go bankrupt, this paves the way for new renewable farms to take over. Already, 54 countries and 8 states have switched to renewable energy, making it a requirement in homes, factories, etc. Currently the cost to decarbonize the entire United States Grid would be around 4.5 trillion dollars. However, as switching to renewable energy becomes more popular as awareness is spread throughout the globe, prices may drop significantly with increased interest.  

Because cost is such a major concern stopping companies and families from switching to solar energy, it is important to spread awareness of the benefits of renewable resources altogether. By elaborating on the Los Angeles installation, this article alerts other states and cities within the United States to do their part as well. Taking big steps towards renewable energy is required to encourage the world to do the same, and eventually lower prices enough to where solar energy appears to be the only valid option. Stopping carbon emissions from large factories won’t happen without civic engagement, as customers refusing to support coal companies will cause more to go out of business, providing more opportunities for solar farms. Thus, this article relates to environmental science, as awareness of the benefits of renewable energy must be spread to encourage any change whatsoever. 

In order to cope with drought repercussions, farmers in the San Joaquin Valley have resorted to using solar energy to supplement their revenue. Because the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is restricting the amount of groundwater farmers can pull from their basins, many areas within the valley will deplete, leaving open acre land readily available for solar panel use. These new panels would not only power four corners of the California power grid but also help reach the renewable energy goals of sixty percent of energy in California coming from renewable sources. However, the only downside to adding solar panels in this area is the economic decline it would cause, as solar farms have little to no job opportunities once built. Despite this, the need to designate more land to solar panels holds strong, as many argue that trying to renew the dried valley area for farmland would only cause poor air quality and dust problems that contribute to asthma regardless. Thus, such open land could greatly benefit the state, if used as an open renewable energy source. 

This article relates to environmental science as developers and farmers discuss what to do with such open land. Rather that try to sell housing on dry, dusty land that would cause harm to individuals’ lungs, the proposal of installing solar panels is far more efficient. The area within the San Joaquin Valley is wide open and key for renewable energy sites. Thus, by discussing the need for an increase in renewable energy locations to power not only the power grid but also neighboring farms, encourages the public to stand behind this ideal as well. The drought is limiting farmer’s water usage in this area anyways, and if the groundwater is essentially near depletion to begin with then the most logical solution is to turn the previously used farm land into a new solar farm. 

Thanks to PG&E cutting off power due to wildfire hazards, the public is doubting the

stability of power grids and thus switching to battery and solar technology to decrease their 

reliance on power reserves. Although California already leads in solar panel installation, 

numbers continue to increase as buyers purchase battery technology to power their house off 

energy stored from solar panels in case of a blackout. Such demand for both systems has caused 

the prices of both to drop, and a lower monthly bill for the buyer that takes place instantly. 

Increasing rates of PG&E are also encouraging customers to switch to solar as the monthly 

payments are significantly cheaper. 

By expressing the necessity of solar power during potential blackouts, this article 

convinces readers to make such an investment. Through increasing the interest for solar panels, 

the demand increases as well, giving immediate benefits to solar companies. By spreading this 

desire for solar panels under the blanket of protection from blackouts, society is essentially 

tricked into helping the environment as well, as solar panels are far more beneficial 

environmentally compared to power grids. Further, increasing the number of people using solar 

panels reduces the amount of energy pulled from legacy utilities, making sparks less frequent

 along transmission lines and therefore less blackouts, while simultaneously saving energy 

overall.