Engineering Innovativeness - Assignment Example

Assignment 3; Engineering Innovation Name Institutional Affiliation Engineering Innovativeness Executive Summary Basically, innovation and engineering work hand in hand in enhancing sustainability in different fields. For many years now, engineers have played a critical role in innovation and improving the society. Although engineering is a widely based field, each form or category plays a role in making the society a better place. For effective innovation, each engineer is required to identify his or her chosen innovation. Specifically, this research paper focuses on the field of geothermal heating and cooling system. Geothermal energy refers to an energy source that exists in the form of heat within the earth’s surface. Most people have relied on this type of energy for many years, for example, when bathing in hot springs. Over the years, the role of this geothermal innovation has gained its importance and significance in the society, making it a major topic of focus. The main motivating factor bout this engineering innovation is that the energy used is clean and renewable; hence, it reduces the effects of climate change. The main role of this report is to show the importance of innovation in promoting entrepreneurship and sustainability in the engineering career. The paper will highlight on geothermal energy in regards to the environmental impacts or issues of the innovation. Additionally, it will focus on the ethical issues that these engineers experience, and how they manage them. The report will also explore on aspects of sustainability and their relevance to engineers, challenges faced, and recommendations. Another main goal of this research was to enable readers to obtain an insight in how engineers deal with ethical issues in their day-to-day engineering design practice. Lastly, the research paper will expound on the competencies that engineers demonstrate in this innovation. Environmental Issues As stated earlier, engineers play a significant role in innovation in improving the society. In the contemporary world, the health and wellbeing of human beings depends on their ability to innovate. In the field of engineering, geothermal heating and cooling system focuses on the use of geothermal energy for human use (Bessant & Tidd, 2007). From this, it is evident that the innovation plays a vital role in helping the society, but certain environmental issues arise. According to scientist, the main environmental issue that arises from geothermal heating is the emission of greenhouse gases, which are categorized as harmful, depending on the concentration level. Innovation aims at enhancing the living standards and quality of life of human beings. The main role of this innovation is to protect the environment through alleviating global warming, making it environmental friendly. However, certain environmental issues arise, especially when geothermal energy releases greenhouse gases, but in less amount compared to other energy sources such as burning of fossil fuels. Some of these cooling systems have the potential to cause adverse environmental effects, depending on the level of technology (Lombardo, 2015). The release of these harmful gases has raised major concerns regarding the importance of the innovation in protecting its people. Despite these concerns, geothermal heating is an important renewable form of energy technology, which is used in cooling and heating of houses. Therefore, a well-designed and effectively installed geothermal heating system causes less harm to the environment. Currently, engineers are working towards improving these heating and cooling systems by incorporating advanced technology (Lombardo, 2015). Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United Sates state that the geothermal heating and cooling systems have recorded the lowest environmental cost compared with others forms of technologies such as natural gas furnaces. This means that engineers are working towards eliminating the environmental issues. Ethical Issues According to Lombardo (2015), ethics play an important role in the field of engineering, especially when it comes to decision-making process. Engineers must keep in mind that all activities done or decisions made are in accordance with the established rules and policies. Observing ethical values at work enhances sustainability of the innovation in reference to serving the community (Lombardo, 2015). When engineers do not observe the already set policies, the company policies regard them as unethical. However, research shows that ethics are not about what is right or wrong. Instead, engineers describe ethics as the practice of thinking about the welfare of others first. Certain ethical issues arise when engineers are dealing with geothermal heating and cooling systems. As stated earlier, it is clear that geothermal managers must first consider the welfare of consumers rather than themselves. One of the most controversial dilemmas associated with this innovation is on when geothermal engineers have to make a choice on whether to focus on intense production of geothermal energy or to reduce the rate of production in order to protect the environment (Lombardo, 2015). The production of large volumes of geothermal energy results in emission of more greenhouse gases, and this causes environmental degradation. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of these engineers to engage in intense production in order to satisfy consumer needs. Such dilemma choices place engineers and the entire unit in a difficult situation. Therefore, the more there is intense production of energy and satisfaction of consumer needs, the more the effects of the applied technology may damage the environment. Additionally, engineers must make certain decisions regarding land use since the size of land covered by a geothermal plant will depend on certain properties such as the power capacity, design of the cooling system and arrangement of the pipes (Anastas & Zimmerman, 2013). This means that the more advanced and complex a geothermal plant is, the more it will lead to consumption and wastage of more land. In order to solve this ethical issue, engineers focus on moderation hereby, the do not overproduce geothermal energy within a given environment. On the other hand, the must still ensure that power supply is adequate for human use. Maintaining modernity will ensure that there is an equilibrium (balance) between environment/ land conservation and customer satisfaction. Sustainability in This Innovation Sustainability is one of the main objectives within any given organization, since it ensures that the services issued by a given firm or company can sustain and satisfy the needs of customers for a long period. For sustainable engineering, the management must ensure that it designs or operates systems in a manner that energy and resources are used sustainably. This means that the resources are used in a manner that does not agitate the natural environment stability (Muchie & Baskaran, 2012). For engineers who deal with geothermal and cooling systems, they must use land and produce power at a moderate rate to ensure there is existence of adequate power in the upcoming future. In addition, the objective of most engineers is to enhance a systematic life cycle approach, whereby there is no exhaustion of existing resources (source of energy). The main sustainability goals set by engineering companies that acquire energy from the environment are; waste reduction, management of materials, reduction of pollution, and product enhancement. In the field of geothermal heating and cooling systems, the fact that geothermal is a renewable source of energy, promotes sustainability within the industry. As a renewable source of energy, geothermal energy does not need the geological times of fossil fuel reserves such as oil, gas or coal. The geothermal reservoir is recovered from the same site of extraction; hence, consumers are likely to have access to the energy any time Muchie & Baskaran, 2012). Additionally, the fact that there are minor and controllable environmental impacts of producing geothermal power, makes the production of geothermal power sustainable. It is the role of engineers to ensure that the services offered to customers are easily accessible without extreme exploitation of the environment. This means that in order to promote sustainability in the field of geothermal heating and cooling systems, engineers must try and conserve the land, since it is the original source of the energy plants Challenges Faced, Recommendations, and Lessons Learnt Challenges When conducting the research, we faced several challenges, especially when gathering information. One of the main challenges that we faced occurred when investigating on ethical issues experienced by geothermal engineers and geothermal generating companies. Specifically, most engineers were not ready to open up and explain the experiences that put them in an ethical dilemma (Vallero & Brasier, 2008). Therefore, it was difficult to come up with the common ethical issues that these engineers undergo. However, after visiting several companies, some of the engineers opened up and we acquired adequate information. Moreover, in order to know about the ethical challenges faced by the entire engineering unit, we had to contact the management, and this proved to be a bit difficult too. Some companies were unwelcoming, whereas others were not comfortable with explaining their company’s ethical challenges, claiming it would cause too much exposure. To overcome this challenge, we contacted pubic company through a request by our school. The managers and employees from these companies were ready to open up. Another challenge was the challenges of time availability of published data that is in our library concerning the topic (Schwiesow, 2010). Most other books were either out-dated or contained information irrelevant to the target topic. To solve this challenge, we acquired credible sources from journals and reliable books from the internet. Some of the websites were also quite useful. Recommendations and Lesson Learnt After conducting the report, we came up with several recommendations based on the lessons learnt during the interviews and data analysis. First, it is imperative for any engineering company dealing with extraction of geothermal power to ensure that it does not overexploit the environment (Hendry & Vesilind, 2005). Furthermore, these companies should incorporate advanced technologies that ensure the emission of greenhouse gases is minimal. This will ensure that the methods used are environmental friendly. Secondly, the management of these companies should come up with effective ways of dealing with ethical issues. It is also the role of geothermal engineers to ensure they observe the ethical values whey conducting their day-today professional practices (Bevan & Yung, 2015). Lastly, engineering companies should enhance sustainability in regards to energy production in order to ensure there is reliable production of energy. Sustainability promotes customer satisfaction and enhances protection of the environment. Indicating the Competency Demonstrated During the Research In order to come up with accurate and reliable research, we had to apply and demonstrate certain competencies skills. The first competence sill that we demonstrated was in-depth understanding. This skill helped us during the interpretation of some of the interviews from different engineers. We had to break down the retrieved data in accordance to the topic of discussion, and to do that effectively, we explored certain bodies of the engineering discipline through in depth understanding. Another competency we applied is that of being understanding. When conducting the research, we ensured that we understood the scope, principles, norms, and policies of the engineering practice in our assigned discipline (Cohen, 2014). For this research, our focus was on geothermal engineering; hence, it was imperative to understand the policies and principles for effective evaluation and analysis. The third competence skill that we applied was the application of engineering in solving complex engineering problems. This skill allowed us to focus on the main social issues affecting the geothermal engineers and companies, for example, ethical and environmental issues. This was an effective skill, since it enabled us to go beyond the normal experiences of engineers, and instead, focus on the issues that affect their work ethics. Lastly, our professional and personal attributes enables us in conducting a successful research. Specifically, we demonstrated effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. This skill was quite useful, since it helped us in interacting with the engineers and asking questions freely. Through written communication, we were in apposition to write reliable reports concerning our experiences during the research. In addition, our communication skills enabled us to build good rapport with engineers and he target companies. Therefore, these skills greatly contributed to the success of our research. Conclusion In summary, engineering is one of the most important types of innovations required by human beings. Just like in any other professions, engineers are required to observe certain principles and values. The engineering field that deals with geothermal heating and cooling system is involved in the production of geothermal energy. Geothermal power is commonly used at homes and is industries, and this makes the innovation vital to the society. The main issues faced by this company are ethical and environmental. First, ethical dilemma affects most engineers who have hard time deciding whether to focus on increasing production of protecting the environment. This ethical issue exists on the basis that the higher the level of energy production, the high the risk of environmental degradation. The management and engineers have a role to protect the environment at whatever cost. One of the advantages of using geothermal power is that it emits small volumes of greenhouse gases compared with other sources of energy such as burning of fossil fuels. Additionally, it is the responsibility of engineers to enhance sustainability of services offered without overexploiting the environment. To achieve this, they must practice moderation when producing energy. From the research, it is conclusive that just like any other profession engineering also experiences certain demands, expectations and challenges. Therefore, when focusing on engineering innovation, it is imperative to highlight the basic areas such as work policies, and ethical values. References Bessant, J. R., & Tidd, J. (2007). Innovation and entrepreneurship. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Anastas, P. T., & Zimmerman, J. B. (2013). Innovations in green chemistry and green engineering: Selected entries from the Encyclopedia of sustainability science and technology. New York, NY: Springer. Muchie, M., & Baskaran, A. (2012). Innovation for sustainability: African and European perspectives. Pretoria, South Africa: Africa Institute of South Africa. Vallero, D. A., & Brasier, C. (2008). Sustainable design: The science of sustainability and green engineering. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley. Hendry, J. R., & Vesilind, P. A. (2005). Ethical motivations for green business and engineering. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 7(4), 252-258. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10098-005-0013-8 Bevan, E. A. M., & Yung, P. (2015). Implementation of corporate social responsibility in australian construction SMEs. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 22(3), 295-311. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1681434162?accountid=45049 Cohen, S. (2014). The ethics of de-extinction. Nanoethics, 8(2), 165-178. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11569-014-0201-2 Schwiesow, D. (2010, January 1). Research Challenges. Retrieved May 18, 2016, from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges Lombardo. T. (2015, October 19). Innovative Approach to Geothermal Heating and Cooling. Retrieved May 18, 2016, from http://www.engineering.com/ElectronicsDesign/ElectronicsDesignArticles/ArticleID/10830/Innovative-Approach-to-Geothermal-Heating-and-Cooling.aspx Read More