{"id":13936,"date":"2020-10-22T14:07:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T18:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=13936"},"modified":"2023-04-21T11:05:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T15:05:32","slug":"vasundhara-gaur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/research-profiles\/vasundhara-gaur\/","title":{"rendered":"CELS graduate student’s childhood experiences compel her to help solve Rhode Island’s solar conflicts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Gabriella Placido, CELS Communications Fellow<\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine trying to study in temperatures exceeding 110 degrees with no air conditioning or fans and frequent power outages. That was a daily struggle for Vasundhara Gaur growing up in Lucknow, India. \u201cI remember studying by candlelight at night for hours,\u201d explains Gaur, a PhD student in the University of Rhode Island College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS). \u201cWhile sitting there sweltering, I asked myself, \u2018why doesn\u2019t anyone study this?\u2019 This is where my interest in energy conflicts originated from,\u201d states Gaur.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s energy challenges prompted Gaur to pursue a master\u2019s degree in environmental and natural resource economics at the Energy and Resources Institute School of Advanced Sciences in New Delhi, India focusing on large-scale energy shortages and theft. According to Gaur, it was common practice in this region for thieves to steal electricity from other people by simply attaching a wire to an electric pole. Studying these local challenges led Gaur to an exciting conclusion. \u201cI realized I was sitting on a treasure trove of information regarding a conflict that can be applied to other energy issues across the world,\u201d says Gaur. \u201cI knew I needed to expand my studies and get this research out into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

She later enrolled in a PhD program in the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ENRE) department in CELS where she is studying conflicts surrounding solar array installations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, a collection of multiple solar panels that generate electricity as a system. After looking at programs around the world, she says the interdisciplinary program at CELS stood out because of the flexibility it offered. \u201cI found an amazing place here in CELS where I am uplifted,\u201d she says. \u201cENRE is very diverse, and I am inspired by some amazing female professors.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Gaur, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have ambitious goals to source a high percentage of their energy production from renewable sources instead of fossil fuel-based energy such as natural gas. \u201cRhode Island wants about 39% of the state\u2019s energy to be produced from renewable sources by 2035,\u201d explains Gaur. \u201cThe state is currently only at about 9%.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreasing production of renewable energy sources would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the progression of climate change,\u201d says Gaur. Unfortunately, it has also resulted in conflicts over solar sprawl due to the rapid increase in solar developments.\u201cI attended a few town meetings in Rhode Island and I have seen first-hand that this is a very contentious issue because of all the conflicting interests,\u201d says Gaur, whose research explores the range of conflicts that arise from those affected by solar panel developments. She hopes to help mitigate these issues with her findings.<\/p>\n

Gaur states that improved air quality and other comprehensive environmental and economic benefits are encouraging town councils to install as many solar arrays as possible. However, many solar panels are being installed on farmlands, which use valuable farmland for solar panels. Additionally, many residents don\u2019t want vast tracts of their rural, forested, New England landscapes converted into miles of solar panels.\u201cLocals expect small rural towns to feature the scenes they\u2019re used to of lush trees and peaceful farm animals that they have always been known for,\u201d explains Gaur, who points to another unintended consequence. Solar installations have ironically angered many environmental activists as developers have sought to cut down tracts of forest for solar, which many see as counter-productive. \u201cIn this case, environmentalists are fighting other environmentalists,\u201d says Gaur. \u201cEveryone wants what is best for the environment, yet they have different ideas about how to achieve that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Gaur\u2019s research digs deeper into this conflict by exploring the economic impact of solar developments on nearby homeowners. According to her study, property values in Rhode Island and Massachusetts declined by around 2percent, or about $5,700, per house from solar installations. \u201cIf you consider all of the homes in these two states that are near solar installations, this is cumulatively equal to about $1.7 billion in property value losses,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, financial losses from new solar installations are not being considered equitably,\u201d Gaur adds. \u201cThe losses need to be distributed more evenly to mitigate the conflict behind expansive solar\u00a0 installations and to help renewable energy progress forward more smoothly for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaur states that she is currently studying a possible solution to this conflict that could appease all interest groups. It involves installing solar panels on brownfields: former contaminated industrial sites that have been safely remediated for reuse. \u201cWe encourage continued solar production to help mitigate climate change, but we hope this data helps form better guidelines going forward in a way that is more holistic and understanding of all of the costs and benefits for all the stakeholders involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine trying to study in temperatures exceeding 110 degrees with no air conditioning or fans and frequent power outages. That was a daily struggle for Vasundhara Gaur growing up in Lucknow, India…[Read more<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":13951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[31,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","category-research-profiles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17443,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13936\/revisions\/17443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}