User:IanGalinson/Choose an Article

Article Selection
Please list articles that you're considering for your Wikipedia assignment below. Begin to critique these articles and find relevant sources.

Community Solar

 * Article title: "Community solar farm"
 * Article Evaluation: Start-Class
 * The title of this article feels misleading; the "farm" feels a little more specific to one type of community solar, though I suppose it could apply to more than just "farms"
 * The content is relevant
 * I think that state-specific community solar laws and guidelines could be added to bolster the information gaps
 * I could potentially update information that hasn't been updated since, it would seem, mid-2021
 * I could also focus on Massachusetts, New York, and potentially California, too
 * Community solar is becoming a more and more viable and useful rooftop solar alternative because it allows residents to buy into solar regardless of the shape and size of their roof
 * It's an essential piece of sustainable technology, and adding more information to the topic seems warranted
 * Sources: 47
 * (Does this mean citations that already exist?)
 * Sources: 47
 * (Does this mean citations that already exist?)

Redwood Trees

 * Article title: "Sequoioideae"
 * Article Evaluation: Start-Class
 * There's honestly not too much information on this page, which surprised me considering how much I've heard about them during my life (though I may be biased coming from California)
 * I did a project on the ecosystem services of redwoods in California, and I think it would be worth adding some of my research findings to this page
 * The primary addition I'd make would probably be in regards to prescribed burn as it relates to redwoods
 * Related to prescribed burn is which aspects of a redwood forest are most or least conducive to forest fires—this information provides a glimpse into the need to preserve redwood stands
 * Sources: 18
 * Sources: 18
 * Sources: 18

Renewable Energy

 * Article title: "Low-carbon power"
 * Article Evaluation: Start-Class
 * This is an interesting article because it seemingly talks about renewable energy, but under the moniker of "low-carbon power"
 * I feel like it might still be important to fill in information on this page because not everyone may know to route directly to "renewable energy" when looking at fossil fuel alternatives
 * I would most likely add to the solar energy portion as it's relatively bare-bones, and it's the subject I feel I know the most about, so doing research will be more streamlined
 * Sources: 60
 * Sources: 60
 * Sources: 60

For Community Solar:

Benefits of Community Solar
Community solar has many potential advantages for energy consumers.

The advantages over residential solar installation might include:

Installing solar panels on a building or household can come with a variety of issues. For homeowners, these limitations range from roof shape/size limitations to zoning regulations. For renters, the decision to install solar belongs to his or her landlord. As community solar projects generate power remotely for a certain number of subscribers, the physical limitations of installation for the consumer disappear. Community solar functions similarly to conventional energy insofar as it provides energy remotely, requiring no installation or maintenance on the part of the consumer.
 * Avoiding trees, roof size and/or configuration limitations, adjacent buildings, the immediate microclimate, and/or other factors which may reduce power output at the residential location;
 * Avoiding building codes, zoning restrictions, homeowner association rules and aesthetic concerns;
 * Expanding participation to include renters and others who are not residential property owners;
 * Reduced maintenance requirements.

More generally, community solar maintains a few notable benefit for companies, government agencies, and individuals alike. These benefits include:


 * Increased solar access for low-income residents;
 * Reduced installation costs;
 * High return-on-investment.

Low-income households in the U.S. maintain an energy burden (a term used by the U.S. Department of Energy to define how much of a household's gross income is spent on paying for energy) that is roughly triple the amount of other U.S. households. With around 50 million low-income, U.S. households (about 44% of the U.S. household total), many U.S. residents are spending large amounts of their income on energy. Many of these residents, whether because they are renters or because their properties don't support installation, don't have access to solar. Because of its subscription/opt-in functionality, community solar can increase access to solar energy for these households. Additionally, as consumer rates for solar energy become lower through distributed generation of community solar (see section: Controversy with Utility Providers), initial investors in community solar projects experience higher returns in the long run.

Controversy with Utility Providers
Utility providers in the U.S. have, at times, struggled with the increase of community solar, or solar photovoltaic (PV), development. PV development can come in multiple forms, such as in community or individual rooftop projects. Such projects often rely on distributed generation (DG) to loop electricity from the source to the consumer. DG routes power more directly to the consumer because of its ability to circumvent utility providers. Utilities can opt to invest in and incorporate community solar into their business model, though only some have. Without aligning with communtiy solar, the main concern for utility providers then stems from potential revenue losses.

Most utility providers pay fixed rates proportional to the electricity they generate and subsequently distribute to consumers. Traditionally, the consumer has also paid a fixed rate in order to receive utility-generated power. With DG systems, as opposed to paying this fixed rate, consumers have been increasingly able to pay a market rate for the volume of electricity they use. With consumers paying less than the traditionally-fixed rate, utility providers lose a portion of the revenue they would've received under traditional circumstances. With conventional forms of energy still maintaining the lion's share of power distribution in the U.S. (about 61% as of 2020), however, losses in utility revenue are small.