Solar Commons
A "Commons Option" for the 21stCentury
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2822698 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kathryn Milun (0000-0002-9158-4325, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1023-1057 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ajes.12348 |
| OpenAlex | W3043910965 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 20 |
Private ownership of nature's gifts-water, air, sunlight-stands in the way of solving the collective problems of the 21stcentury. In the case of sunlight, common ownership through community solar trusts can overcome both the inequities and the inefficiencies of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) with legal monopolies. Those monopolies function with the same arrogance as aristocrats did in the past, but now the stakes are higher: the future of the planet. This essay describes the Solar Commons Project by which a team of inspired citizens and public scholars joined to create a form of community-trust solar-energy ownership, in which multiple stakeholders benefit. The goal is to make this "Solar Commons" model an iterable, scalable, model of community solar that empowers low-income neighborhoods in the United States. An integral part of the project is a process of creating community-engaged public art to communicate the nature of community ownership. Artistic and theatrical presentations can help involve the public in dialogues around questions of utility management that are normally couched in technical language designed to obfuscate the political power of electric utilities. One role citizens can play is unmasking utilities when they publicly promote themselves as providers of clean energy, even when they are actively engaged in protecting the interests of fossil-fuel companies. Ultimately, however, creating a Solar Commons involves more than criticizing the failed institutions of the past. It requires us to think innovatively about ways to draw upon the history of the commons to design new modes of sharing sunlight and other common goods to create a more equitable, sustainable future
Business · Commons · Economics · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Law · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance · Water Governance and Infrastructure
The incorporation of America
The End of a Natural Monopoly
Governing the Commons
The Magna Carta Manifesto
The Struggle to Govern the Commons
Down to Earth
Nature's Trust
The commons in Europe
The traditional commons of England and Wales in the twenty-first century
Power to the People
Moral economy
Common Land, Poor Relief and Enclosure
Solar Commons
The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,83 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |