Sustainable Operations

Solar energy as an alternative source of energy

Name

Institution

Introduction

Organizational success in the contemporary business environment has been redefined from the traditional high profit margins and share prices to a holistic perspective that entails sustainable operations. This has been precipitated by the emergent issues that have made it necessary for organizations to carry out their business operations in a manner that is responsible and ethical. In this regard, therefore, sustainable operations entail the production of goods, services and other business operations in a way that no negative environmental, social or economic impact is felt as a result of such operations. Sustainable operations seek to ensure that the business existence makes it easier for the society and the environment to remain intact or become better even as the business pursues its objectives. Several issues arise whenever sustainable operations are mentioned. One of the most current is the issue of sustainable energy use in business operations. That energy plays a central part in all business operation cannot be overstated. The centrality and the importance of energy in business operations, therefore, demands that it is procured and used in a sustainable manner which does not jeopardize the integrity of the environment or the wellbeing of the present and future societies. This research focuses on solar energy as an alternative source of energy that is sustainable by nature. The research will also explore three organizations that implement solar energy in their business operations and over lessons that other business organizations can learn from them.

Definition of solar energy

Solar energy refers to energy that emanates from the sun and converted to electricity for use in the normal organizational operations and processes. The energy is obtained by concentrating the sun's radiant energy through the use of photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors (Hough, 2006). After collection, the radiant energy is the converted and stored in the form of electricity or is readily used. This form of energy is increasingly becoming popular among organizations, government and community due to the fact that it is clean and renewable. According to Mahaney (2007), solar energy contributes a significant portion of the total energy used around the world. Solar energy is sustainable due to the fact that it is renewable and has no implications on the environment whatsoever. The use of solar energy has however not been without challenges particularly with regard to its effective use in most corporate organization which have continued to ignore its use. Despite these implementation and perception challenges facing solar energy adoption, the future looks bright for the source of energy as extensive research and developments continue to improve the technology (Hansen, 2010).

Issues involved in solar energy

First developed to cater for the energy requirements of the earth satellites in the space, solar energy has expanded in the recent past to cater for energy needs in organizational, industrial and domestic uses (Mahaney, 2007). As a source of energy, it is preferred due to the fact that it is renewable and clean to the environment. By clean, it is meant that solar energy does not pose any environmental risk as a result of pollution (Morris, 2006). This attribute therefore makes it an excellent alternative to other popular sources of energy such as nuclear and fossil fuels that are not renewable and pose threats to the environment. The burning of fossil fuels for instance has been attributed to the emission of greenhouse gases which have detrimental consequences to the environment. One of the major consequences is global warming which is rapidly becoming evident given the changing weather and climatic conditions around the world (Jones, 2003). Additionally, fossil fuels are finite and therefore non-renewable. Currently, there are concerns about the depletion of major fossil fuel deposit therefore posing a major threat to the infinite energy needs in the present and the future. The same case applies to the reliance of nuclear energy given its environmental and health hazards.

Apart from being clean and renewable, solar energy has numerous other benefits that that make it a sustainable alternative source of energy for business organizations. To begin with, solar energy is relatively cost efficient because it has no recurring costs to the organization (Hansen, 2010). This is because s the sun's radiation, which is the primary source of the energy, is free and readily available. This characteristic is critical in the contemporary business organization where cost reduction is a major element in business success. Second, solar energy provides flexibility that is impossible to get from other sources of energy. This is because it can be applied to both portable and stationary applications thereby making it possible for business operations to be accomplished at any place (Mahaney, 2007). Solar panels, which generate solar energy, can be configured to fit the exact business needs thereby allowing the businesses to generate electricity in a customized manner. Third, solar energy enables the organization to be more self-reliant. This is a critical advantage to the organization as it cuts the dependence on the power utility for all energy needs. The significance of self-reliance is evident in high risk business operations that require sustained energy. This can also prove to be very useful for organizations that seek to run remote installations in a cost effective and practical way. Finally, the business cost benefit of using solar energy transcends to other business operations that are associated with supply and obtaining of fuel and other sources of energy (Mahaney, 2009). Some of this cost can have significant cost implication on the organization. Additionally, as energy shortages become evident and their prices increase, solar energy is becoming a more sustainable price competitive alternative.

Critics of solar energy have cited some of the disadvantages of the source of energy in justifying why organizations should not adopt it. The first objection is that solar energy is dependent on the obtaining weather conditions (Jones, 2003). This is because there energy is generated from solar radiation. As such, the presence of clouds, nights or cold weather hinders the production of solar power thereby making it unreliable. Whereas this challenge is eliminated by batteries, the solution has been considered as unreliable. Second, the initial cost of installing the solar panels is considered as higher thereby discouraging