Solarizing of Telecom Towers in India - Research Paper Example

 Solarizing of Telecom Towers in India Introduction The world is constantly changing is a common phrase. Yet, it captures realities that have major implications on every aspect of life and business (Harvey, 2003). The current world is quite different from what it used to be in the past centuries. Almost every aspect of human life has changed in some way including movement, communication, learning, and doing business. One of the major forces behind these transformations is technological changes. New technological innovations are constantly coming up and influencing how we do things. For example, with the emergence of ICT technologies including the internet, computers, and smartphones, it is now possible for people to learn or transact business online. The public can also access health care services virtually without necessarily visiting the hospital. Reading books and newspapers has also moved from flipping pages to digital editions that can be read using computers and smartphones. It is undeniable that technological changes has and is still continuing to influence changes in the world. With these influences, people and institutions often react differently. For some, the changes may be disruptive while for others, it may be incremental. This forms the basis of this paper. The main purpose of the paper is to analyze a case study on green energy solutions using the TMO (Technology, Markets, and Organization Capabilities) framework. From the analysis, the paper will identify the current situational factors of the green energy industry including internal dynamics, opportunities, and obstacles Vis a Vis the innovation and provide actionable recommendations to a client, Urban Green Energy, for dealing with the innovation. Case Study Summary Within the larger energy industry, there is an emerging sector known as the alternative energy sector. Otherwise referred to as clean energy sector, green energy sector, or renewable energy sector, this sector focuses on producing clean energy from multiple sources including the sun, the wind, the ocean, and underground heat. The green energy sector produced different types of renewable energy such as solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy. Unlike the conventional energy industry that primarily produced non-renewable energy such as coal, and petroleum, the green energy sector produces clean energy that has limited negative impacts on the environment. Apart from this, the sector prides itself in producing sustainable energy because the green energy types are not depleted with continued use. Although the green energy sector lacks definite growth statistics globally, the growth can be derived from statistics from different countries or regions. For example, the green energy sector in Massachusetts grew by 47 percent between 2010 and 2014. The sector is now worth over $10 billion with about 9,585 companies, which employ over 88,372 people. The sector is project to growth further in the short-term and the long-term. For instance, by 2015, the industry is projected to have exceeded 6,000 companies and 100,000 employees (Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, 2014). Globally, the green energy consumption is estimated to be 20 percent of the total energy consumption (United Nations Environment Programme, 2013, p. 220). The key drivers of the green energy sector have been the growing concerns regarding environmental pollution, climate change, poverty, health impacts, and energy security (Müller, Brown &Ölz, 2011; United Nations Environment Programme, 2013). These concerns have led to adoption of government policies to address these concerns by supporting the use of green energy. Negative public opinion and attitudes towards the non-renewable energy sources has also influenced the growth of the green energy sector. Despite the growth, there are still numerous challenges facing the sector. Some of these challenges include resource limitations, high cost implications, and intermittency of green energy sources (Singh, 2010; Joy, 2012; Nigam, 2013). One of the main players in the global green energy sector is UGE, Urban Green Energy. The company was founded about seven years ago and is based in New York. UGE operates in the renewable energy solutions industry and provides a wide range of products and solutions including solar panels, wind turbines, power management systems, hybrid streetlights, remote monitoring systems, and EV charging stations among others (UGE International Ltd., 2015a). One of the UGE’s latest projects involves providing hybrid wind and solar systems for offsite telecommunication towers. In 2014, the company successfully deployed this system on a remote telecom tower in South Pacific Island, which was operated by OPT (UGE International Ltd., 2015b).Despite this success story, UGE’s hybrid system is still in its nascent stages. The company still faces many hurdles to grow this technology and increase its penetration globally. These will be analyzed in detail using the TMO framework. Current Situation of the Automotive Industry Before developing actionable recommendations for a company or industry in dealing with new innovations, it is important to first analyze the current situation in the company or industry. Situational analysis helps in identifying the internal capabilities and obstacles that affect how the company or industry reacts to the new innovation. There are several models for conducting a situational analysis. For the purpose of green energy sector, this paper will use Porter’s Five Forces and PEST analysis tools. The combination of the two analytical tools will help in providing a comprehensive view of the current situation in the sector. Porter’s Five Analysis Porter’s Five Forces tool is an analytical tool used for analyzing an industry based on five factors/forces. The five factors include ease of entry, buyer power, supplier power, rivalry, and ease of substitution. From the Porter’s Five analysis, it is possible to determine where power lies within an industry and whether the industry is attractive or not (Cheverton, 2005, pp. 80-82; Manktelow, 2005). With regard to the green energy sector, this analytical tool will be useful in highlighting the current situation in the sector including competition, relationships with buyers and suppliers, and possibility of product substitutions. Ease of Entry–entering the green energy sector is not easy. Several factors make it difficult for companies to venture in to green energy business. First, the industry requires significant capital investments. Establishing a green energy company is so expensive that many people would not afford it. Second, there are companies that have already established themselves as the main contenders in the sector.Some of these include Iberdrola, Calpine Corp., China Yangtze Power, Siemens, NextEra Energy, and First Solar (Energy Digital, 2013). These companies have economies of scale including sizeable asset bases and market share, which they can use to compete against new entrants in the industry. However, various governments have developed policies to support new and nascent companies that want to venture into this industry, which reduces the capital burden. Buyer Power – buyer power in the green energy sector is medium. On one hand, there are only limited companies that provide green energy solutions. This means that demand exceeds supply. With limited supply, buyers have less bargaining power because they do not have many options. On the other hand, green energy companies are competing against conventional energy firms such as petroleum companies. These companies offer cheaper and more reliable energy solutions to consumers. Therefore, consumers can easily opt for non-renewable energy solutions if they feel that the green energy solutions are inconvenient. Supplier Power – supplier power is low. The green energy companies depend on multiple suppliers of different equipment and services. Considering the small number of green energy companies compared to the large number of suppliers, the green companies have an upper hand in bargaining. The can select from a wide range of suppliers. Additionally, considering that the green energy sector is still in its nascent stages, the threat of forward integration from suppliers is low. Suppliers may not be able to overcome the major obstacles involved in becoming providers of green energy solutions. Rivalry– rivalry among green energy companies is high. The few companies are competing for the limited market share considering that consumption of green energy is only at 20 percent level globally. Therefore, green energy companies have to compete against each other for the limited market. Apart from competition among green companies, conventional energy firms have also started producing clean energy solutions. For example, BP has an alternative energy business segment that produces clean energy solutions including solar energy, biofuels, and wind energy despite the fact that the company’s primary business involved oil and gas exploration (BP, 2015). Threat of Substitution–the threat of substitution in the industry is high. The energy industry is large and comprises of multiple sources of energy including renewable and non-renewable energy. Green energy is only a small part of the entire energy consumption. Consumers can easily substitute green energy solutions with non-renewable energy solutions. For instance, telecommunication companies can substitute the hybrid solar and wind systems with petroleum systems with minimal switching costs. The high cost of green energy solutions makes its easier to switch to alternatives. PEST Analysis The PEST analysis is widely used in analyzing the external environment of an organization. This strategic analysis tool focuses on four main aspects of the external environment including the political factors, economic factors, sociocultural factors, and technological factors (Bensoussan & Fleisher, 2012, p. 187). All these factors can affect how an organization performs or operates. Therefore, it is important to use this tool to analyze the external environment of automotive companies. This analysis will help in highlighting the major opportunities, trends, and challenges within the industry in general. Political Factors–the political factors comprise of laws, regulations, policies, and restrictions imposed by the government, which have a direct or indirect impact on businesses(Franz & Sarcina, 2009, p. 214). Within the green energy sector, the main political factors include the laws and regulations governing the industry. In the US, for example, the government, through the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, has set environmental laws and regulations that affect the entire energy sector. Most of these laws support the growth of green energy sector such as emission reduction standards and government incentives for the green energy sector (Bateman, 2014). These laws and regulations encourage the emergence of green energy companies. Economic Factors –economic factors comprise of exchange rates, taxation, inflation, and economic growth among others that have implications on the economy of a country, region, or the world (Franz & Sarcina, 2009, p. 214). Several economic factors influence the automotive industry. The industry plays a major role in the performance of the economy. The industry provides numerous employment opportunities, generates government revenue, and influences other economic sectors. Additionally, the economic performance of a country determines the performance of the industry. Poor economic performance has negative impacts on the industry.For example, the 2008 economic crisis led to a slowdown in investment in the green energy sector in the US (Schwabe, Cory & Newcomb, 2009). Sociocultural Factors –these factors include cultural and social values and elements of the society (Franz & Sarcina, 2009, p. 215). The sociocultural factors impact the industry by influencing the choices, preferences, attitudes, and behavior of people. One of the sociocultural factors that are evident in the green energy sector is consumer attitudes towards green energy. Consumers who are aware of the benefits of green over non-renewable energy are more likely to use green energy solutions. However, consumer attitudes towards green energy are influenced by various factors including education level and traditions. For instance, indigenous communities in developing countries use non-renewable energy sources such as firewood as part of their traditions. Technological Factors –technological factors includes new innovations and technologies that transform an industry or influence changes (Franz & Sarcina, 2009, p. 215). The green energy sector is heavily dependent on technology and innovation. This means that any new innovations or technologies are likely to influence changes within the sector. In the recent past, several technological innovations have emerged and are shaping changes in the sector. For example, the hybrid solar and wind system is a new technology in the sector. Before this technology was developed, the sector relied on single-source systems such as solar systems or wind turbines (Gipe, 2004). Such technological changes will continue to shape the growth of the sector in the future. For instance, green energy companies will have to invest more in R&D activities to develop better solutions in the future. Companies that will be unable to embrace these new technologies may be forced out of the industry. TMO Framework Analysis Innovation is a major factor affecting all types of organizations in all industries. Innovation drives growth in organizations as well as in the economy (Gamal, 2011). With regard to an industry, innovation drives industry growth through introduction of new products, processes, services, and business models that increase value. Innovation is based on the fact that organizational change is constant. This change emanates from within and outside an organization. In an industry, the change may come from external factors such as new policies or economic pressures. Responding to such changes should be a priority for any organization. Appropriate response to change yields positive outcomes such as the realization of new opportunities and growth. However, poor response could have negative implications including loss of competitive advantages or obsolesce (Newbury, 2013, p. 2). For an industry or organization to respond positively to change, it is important to first understand the nature of the change. Some changes are incremental while others are disruptive. The type of change determines the type of response. Additionally, organizations ought to understand that changes present great opportunities for innovation. However, there is evidence suggesting that many organizations do not realize this opportunity. This is especially so when the change is disruptive in nature (Newbury, 2013, p. 2). There are various frameworks for measuring innovation. Each innovation framework has its unique elements and merits. Some of these frameworks include innovation funnel, diamond model, innovation value chain, NESTA, innovation radar, and Inno-Biz assessment (Gamal, 2011). Applying these frameworks is important because innovation is a complex phenomenon. These frameworks provide guideline for managing change and implementing innovation. For the purpose of this paper, the TMO (Technology, Market, and Organizational Capabilities) framework will be used to analyze the strategic and innovative management of automotive companies of the new green energy movement sweeping across the industry. This tool focuses on the relationship among the new technological development, the changing structures of the market, and relevant organizational capabilities (Hajek et al., 2011). The TMO innovation framework integrates aspects of the external organizational environment captured in the PEST analysis tool (see diagram 1 below). Diagram 1: TMO Innovation Framework Source: (Hajek et al., 2011). Technology Aspect The technology aspect of the TMO innovation framework focuses on the technical hardware, software, and knowledge for operating new systems (Hajek et al., 2011, p. 2013). This aspect is broadly concerned with technological developments. Within the green energy sector, the development of the technology aspect can be analyzed based on the type of innovation and the technology s-curve. Disruptive and Incremental Technologies When analyzing an innovation, the first step is to determine what kind of innovation it is. There are two main types of innovation including incremental/continuous innovation and radical/disruptive innovation. Although the two types of innovation often create change, they differ in the manner in which they create the change. Incremental or continuous innovation often build on existing technologies or systems to enhance or create new systems that are not so different from the original systems (Carayannis, Gonzalez & Wetter, 2003, p. 120). Such incremental innovations tend to enhance the existing capabilities of a system through small improvements. With incremental innovations, firms do not have to make fundamental changes to their systems or operational models. However, radical innovations cause fundamental changes by introducing new elements that differ from the existing systems. Radical innovations often cause obsolesce of previous technologies or systems by introducing new ones (Carrier, 2011, p. 27). The green energy technology is a disruptive innovation. The green energy solutions such as solar power and wind power are completely different from the conventional non-renewable energy sources such as petroleum. With these new green technologies, green energy companies have to develop new business models compared to the conventional energy firms. For instance, the green energy companies have to develop new technological infrastructures. A company such as UGE has very new infrastructure for developing the green energy solutions that differ from the infrastructure of oil/gas companies and electricity generating companies. With regard to the telecom towers, the conventional infrastructure for powering the towers relied on on-site systems and wiring infrastructure. However, with the hybrid solar and wind system developed by UGE, the infrastructure does not require such wiring and onsite management. With the new technology, telecommunication companies can power their telecom towers off-site using the remote controlled system. Additionally, the hybrid solar and wind system does not require frequent visits to the tower sites to refill fuel because the system is self sustaining by generating energy from the sun and the wind. Industries or organizations react to incremental and disruptive innovations differently. Incumbent industries or organizations are quick to embrace incremental innovations but tend to ignore disruptive innovations especially after the initial introduction (Newbury, 2013, p. 14). Based on this insight, we can predict that conventional energy companies are quite reluctant to embrace the green energy technology. Although some companies have already shown signs of embracing these new technologies, they too are quite cautious about it. They tend to fear the potential risks of embracing these technologies fully. For instance, petroleum and hydro-electric companies may be reluctant to embrace the green energy technology fully because of the fear that doing so would lead to loss of investments. Technology S-Curve The technology s-curve is a model that shows the evolution of disruptive innovations. The model shows that disruptive innovations undergo a series of phases from the time they are introduced to the time they become obsolete. Based on the s-curve model, disruptive innovations evolve through three main phases including era of ferment, incremental change phase, and technological discontinuity phase. At the first phase, there are major obstacles to adoption of the new technology. Some of these obstacles include significant financial resources, non-financial resources, and effort. Because of these constraints, there is very small growth in performance and adoption of the new innovation. However, knowledge about the new innovation soon increase, which results in removal of some of the major obstacles and hence some growth improvement. After the major obstacles are removed, the innovation reaches the incremental phase. At this phase, small inputs will yield greater performance gains and more organizations will embrace the new technology. Finally, as the technology becomes common, its growth starts declining leading to the discontinuity phase. At this phase, new technologies emerge to replace the declining one (Gill, 2012; Beinhocker, 2006, p. 254; Dorf, 1998, pp. 34-36). Using the s-curve theory, we can determine where the green energy technology lies in the curve. Currently, only a few companies have adopted the green energy technology. Some of the major obstacles to adoption of this technology include high cost implications and limited knowledge. However, governments across the world have started supporting companies that are embracing the green energy technology through incentive programs, funding, and subsidies (KPMG, 2013). This has reduced some of the major barriers, which means that the green energy technology is in the take-off stage. It is about to reach the incremental growth stage. Market Aspect The market aspect of the TMO innovation framework deals with structural changes taking place in the market due to the new technologies (Hajek et al., 2011, p. 2013). A new technology will always cause changes in the market. With regard to the green energy technology, there will be major changes in the sector’s market structure. First, with the introduction of green energy solutions, there is growing interest in these new energy technologies from consumers. People are aware of the negative impacts of conventional energy solutions that used petroleum energy such asgreenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, more people are likely to shift from the renewable energy solutions to the new green energy solutions. With the growing interest in green energy solutions, the consumers will have new alternatives to the traditional energy sources. Although the initial/installation cost of such green energy solutions is still significantly higher than that the conventional energy solutions, there will reach a time when the prices will be equal. At this point, the green energy solutions will become accessible and affordable to the wider market (Newburry, 2013, p. 18). With this price parity, it will be more convenient for telecommunication companies to use the hybrid solar and wind systemsto power the offsite telecom towers than the conventional petroleum or electricity systems because of the added benefits of the former. More telecom companies will start using the new green energy systems, which will lead to a significant growth of the green energy market. On the other hand, the market for the conventional energysolutions will continue to shrink until a time when it will be no longer viable. When this happens, energy consumers will abandon their old business models of usingnon renewable energy solutions and adopt the green energysolutions fully. Organizational Capabilities Aspect The organizational capabilities aspect of the TMO innovation framework focuses on organizational elements that either support or inhibit the adoption of new technologies (Hajek et al., 2011, p. 2013). According to Swinscoe (2014), an organization’s response to change is partly dependent on the organizational culture, structure, and mission. Therefore, when assessing whether an industry or organization is ready to adopt a new technology, it is important to analyze the internal environment to identify potential opportunities and obstacles. However, focusing on the obstacles is more crucial because these can determine whether the innovation will be successfully adopted or not. Within the energy sector, several obstacles may prevent the adoption of green energy technology. One of the main obstacles is the level of resource dependence. Energy companies have massive resource investments including exploration equipment, refineries, power generation plants, and R&D stations among others. These resources have been existent for many years. The introduction of green energy technologies may force these companies to abandon their massive resources for new ones. This could be a major obstacle for adoption of the green energy technologies because these companies would not be willing to see their massive assets and investments go to waste. They would rather fight hard to keep their assets than throw them away. Additionally, the level of risk tolerance is another potential obstacle to the adoption of green energy technology. Considering the high cost implication of developing green energy solutions, the potential risks are also high. Many energy companies may be risk averse and avoid embracing the green energy technologies to safeguard their business. Although there is considerable evidence to suggest that green energytechnologies will become a successful business in the future, many energy companies may still be reluctant to take the risk this early. Finally, the energy companies do not have the resource capability to switch to green energy solutions. Apparently, many of these companies may be unable to raise the adequate funds and infrastructure to start commercial production of green energy solutions. This is why many of them are turning to government support. Moreover, these companies lack the adequate know-how on green energy technologies. These technologies are still nascent, which means that very few people have the knowledge and skills to develop them. Conclusion and Recommendations From the analysis and discussion in the paper, it is clear that the green energy industry has a long way to go in adopting the green energy technologies. The green energy technology is a disruptive innovation, which has the potential to change the entire industry landscape completely. Although the technology is still in the early stages, the energy companies needs to brace themselves up for the challenge because the technology is about to reach the incremental stage. To ensure that the transition is successful, the paper makes the following actionable recommendations: i. Green energy companies should embrace the green energy technology. From the technological perspective, the green energy technology is still in its early stages. There are evident signs that this technology will start growing. With specific reference to UGE, the hybrid solar and wind system is a high potential technology that is likely to grow to become a major business area. There are signs that an increasing number of telecom companies are shifting from the petroleum and grid power systems for their telecom towers to the hybrid system. for instance, in 2012, Environ Energy Corporation based in India had over 3000 and 15,000 orders from telecom companies to install solar power systems on telecom towers with one and three years respectively (Panchabuta, 2013). This is an indication of the huge potential for the green energy sector. ii. Green energy companies should seek external support. From the analysis of organizational capabilities, it has emerged that most energy companies lack the internal capacity to fully embrace the green energy technology. To address these international obstacles, these companies should work with external partners including governments and other industries to raise the required resources and knowledge capacity to successfully start manufacturing green energy technologies.This is likely to work considering that several governments are already supporting green energy companies that are manufacturing green energy solutions. iii. Embracing knowledge sharing. Green energy companies should embrace knowledge sharing within and outside. Knowledge sharing is one of the key drives of innovation (Lin, 2007; Kamaşak& Bulutlar, 2010). Through knowledge sharing, these companies can enhance their knowledge and skill capacity in manufacturing green energy technologies.However, the companies should be cautious when sharing knowledge because this can result in loss of competitive advantages and business secrets (see Ritala et al., 2015). References Bateman, A. (2014). 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