Wind Power generation station in England - Essay Example

?Assume Your Company is Planning to Build A New Wind Power Generation Station in England As a Project Manager, Discuss How You Would Incorporate Environmental Sustainability Aspects into the Project Introduction: Project Management refers to the various types of activities that involved in Planning, Categorizing, Securing and organizing various resources to accomplish a specific aim. The primary challenge of project management is to accomplish all of these aims and goals of the project, taking into consideration of known and unexpected contingencies. So that it is the duty of the project manager to study about the environmental aspects of area before launching a project. Here our company is planning to build a new Wind Power generation station in England. The United Kingdom is the 8th biggest manufacturer of wind power in the world. The current installed capability is over 5.9 gigawatts. And also after biogas UK is the 2nd highest source of renewable energy. As of 2012, there are in excess of 300 wind farms working in the UK, with installed capability of 5953 MW and 3956 turbines. In a sustainable atmosphere, the rate of use of natural sources of energy by person activity is below the capability of natural world to replace them. Environmental sustainability plays most significant role in the overall accomplishment of the project. It facilitates companies to be able to accomplish energy effectiveness and obey with environmental policy governing carbon emissions. Environmental sustainability helps to reduce the production cost so that it will help to increased financial gains. The ability to recognize the key sustainability associated knowledge plays a significant position in leading change in the directions of sustainability. “In today’s fast-paced economy, an organization’s knowledge base is quickly becoming its only sustainable competitive advantage. As such, this resource must be protected, cultivated, and shared among organizational members .Knowledge is required for more effective and efficient management decision-making regarding sustainability issues” (Egbu & Renukappa n.d., p. 290). To develop organizational sustainability- associated performance, project manager have to make out and better comprehend the key sustainability- associated knowledge assets obtainable in and across companies. It is significant for companies to recognize the key drivers previous to executing sustainability- associated knowledge management programs. If companies do not completely understand what drives the requirement for organizing sustainability- associated knowledge, they may fall into the trap of generating an incompetent knowledge management policy and operational plans. The study includes aim, objective, methodology, discussion and various key issues and challenges faced to start the wind power station. Managing change associated with environmental sustainability initiatives, leading and managing change in sustainability, and also some challenges -impact of initiatives on competitiveness also incorporated in this study. Background of the Study: A growing stream of study demonstrates that the adoption of environmental and communally sustainable skills and practices are, at a smallest amount, cost neutral and frequently put aside public agencies and private organizations substantial sums of cash at the same time as rising market share, decreasing risk, increasing worker productivity and stakeholder dedication. It is no surprise then that a rising number of companies have embraced the thought of sustainability in the last decade. Environmental sustainability must be a key consideration in the organization of every government buildings. And also agencies have a key position to supporting this plan for the period of the planning, operation, manufacture, preservation and removal of government buildings by decreasing negative environmental impacts and guaranteeing services to the society are resistant to environment change. “Using environmentally sustainable practices for the management of government buildings will: improve the ability of departments to meet the sustainability targets, savings and outcomes in the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of government buildings accelerate and maintain the organizational improvement efforts related to environmental sustainability Address likely effects of climate change in the planning processes to ensure that government services are resistant to the impacts of climate change” (Environmental Sustainability Management 2010, p. 2). The efforts around building up and incorporating sustainability practices in a company are a great background for exploring the dynamics of alteration. The technological and scientific ingredients and abilities with sustainability policies are significant to building a competitive organization in 21st century. On the other hand, long-term accomplishment in sustainability comes in the course of treating these attempts with the same intent with which the company would treat any planned change or modernization. This means that the procedure of arranging and aligning the company around any given alteration is as significant as the new initiative or policy itself. Organizations that view alteration as significant both in terms of acclimatizing to new situation and innovating to resolve challenges and/or grow up are applying an approach named as change management. This is a focused, honorable, and disciplined procedure and structure that looks at all of companies’ dimensions that will affect every facet of the change. Various issues and challenges faced by the project manager. The main challenges are to achieve the aim of the project, Allocation of time and budget also become one of the other challenges faced by the project manager. Key Definition: 1) Project Manager: He is the person in charge for leading a project from its beginning to planning, implementation, organizing the resources and people. 2) Wind Power: It is the conversion of wind power into a useful type of energy, for example using wind turbines to create electricity and electrical energy, windmills for automatic or mechanical power, wind pumps for the use of water pumping etc. 3) Environmental Sustainability: The upholding of the various practices and factor that donates to the quality of atmosphere on a long-term basis. Project Aim and Objectives: Environmental sustainability can be the one of the key aim of a project, or a cross-cutting concern in the accomplishment of a project that has other objectives. Organization must embrace eco- effectiveness. It guarantees that companies turn out to be more cost-effective and environmentally responsible. It gives attention on reducing the use of resources, reducing the impact on the environment and rising the value of goods and services. The use of resources for example raw materials, energy and water must be reduced while recycling should be increased. 1) To examine how organizations are managing change and information connected with sustainability initiatives so as to develop their competitiveness. 2) To identify the various issues and challenges faced by the project manager in the development of wind power energy. 3) To find the impact of competitiveness in wind power energy. 4) To identify how organization managing change associated with environmental sustainability initiatives. Methodology: Research methodology plays significant role in collecting information regarding the environmental sustainability aspects into the project. Both primary and secondary research methods are used to collect information. Survey method one of the most effective and general method to collect information regarding the environmental sustainability aspects into the project. The data obtained from the survey method can be arithmetical or the quantitative in nature. If the study is in the quantitative structure they are to be gathered in the qualitative structure and hiring the statistical tools also for the study. The Survey method is the system of gathering facts by asking questions to persons. A formal list of questionnaire is prepared firstly before asking question to the respondent. Normally a non disguised approach is employed. The questions normally utilized for the survey methods must be well considered and steady. It is one most successful way for gathering the data's in the big people. Here the main aim of the study is to the impact of competitiveness in wind power energy. Survey method is most beneficial for this. Primary data collection method used to complete the study are, questionnaire and survey method. Data's was collected through direct methods from the respondents. And also, various issues and challenges faced by the project manager in the development of wind power energy. In order to understand this secondary research method is more beneficial. The secondary data was mainly acquired through internal as well as external basis. Internal basis data collected from websites and books (such as annual reports of Qatari organization, magazines related to supply chain management etc…) the external basis data are acquired generally from the internet. Secondary data’s are data which prepared already for some other purpose we use the secondary data for references or getting knowledge in this field. Project Key Drivers/Issues/Challenges/Implementation: Project Management means the activities included in Planning, Organizing, protecting and Managing Resources to attain a particular objective. A Project is a temporary activity having a defined opening and finishing point. It is regularly done under time, funding or other constraints, other than is essential to meet unique goals and objectives. “Define all project activities. In this stage, the project manager lists all activities or tasks, how the tasks are related, how long each task will take, and how each tasks is tied to a specific deadline. This phase also allows the project manager to define relationships between tasks, so that, for example, if one task is x number of days late, the project tasks related to it will also reflect a comparable delay. Likewise, the project manager can set milestones, dates by which important aspects of the project need to be met” (What is Project Management? 1997). A project is usually carried out to make useful values for a business. The temporary projects stands in difference to the usual daily operations of the business. Projects may be small, average or long term. Sustainability’s opportunity is embedded in procedures. A mixture of information technologies and metrics will change sustainability from an outside-in initiative to just the ordinary method of doing business. Key Drivers for Embedding Sustainability into the Project: Following are the important Key Drivers for Embedding Sustainability into the Project for Wind Power Energy: National Energy Strategy: This includes Self- sufficiency and Security of supply. In the Self- sufficiency mainly includes Local resource and Security of supply including Diversification of supply and less exposure to adverse geopolitical circumstances. Energy modeling is an important device in improving sustainable built surroundings to combat climate variation and is currently required by law in every EU member states. In the year 2007, the UK agreed to an EU plan to make about 20% of whole EU supply from renewable sources by the year 2020. The UK was specified a target of regarding 15% in 2009 during the Renewable power directive. Energy Affordability: The energy affordability includes Cost effective. It contains Price predictability, more generation during cold weather and downward cost evolution. In the year 2011, the cost of offshore wind energy has been predictable at 16.9 per kWh although on-shore wind energy prices are 8.3/kWh. Economic & Social Benefit: It contains efficient use of land, No water consumption, and Short construction time, Contribution to local development and Lower NIMBY effect. “Energy policy in the UK is at a crossroads, and the decisions made now will reverberate for decades. At least 43 gigawatts of new electrical generation capacity, equivalent to half of Britain’s current total, will be needed by 2020, as all but one of its nuclear plants are retired and coal-fired power stations closed to meet EU air pollution standards” (How to Find Energy? 2010, para. 1). Offshore farm rate more largely due to high build and economics expenses. In the year 20120 is expected to be important for the offshore wind power firm about 5 farms becoming operational containing more than 1.3 GW of wind power energy making ability. Environmental Protection: Environmental protection of wind energy is Abundant, free, inexhaustible and unlimited. In the year 2007, the UK government had performed a strategic environmental evaluation regarding 25 GW values of wind power farm offshore sites in training for new round of improvement. Issues/Challenges of Wind Power Energy: Wind power generation is a changeable resource, and the quantity of electricity formed at any specified point in time by a specified plant will related on wind speeds, turbine characteristics and air density. “Higher temperatures, drier summers, changing patterns of vegetation and altered distributions for pests and disease may pose significant challenges for the long-term maintenance of historic landscapes, including designed landscapes. Potential increases in rainfall, storminess and weather intensity together with greater risk of ground subsidence may threaten the continued stability and weather resilience of many historic buildings” (Wind Energy and the Historic Environment 2011). If wind speed is low then the wind turbines will not be capable to make electricity, and if it is high the turbines must be shut down to reduce damage. If this happens through a winter cold snap, when winds are still more than large areas and electrical demand attain its high levels of the year, other power sources have the ability of meeting that entire demand. While the production from a single turbine can differ rapidly and greatly as local wind speeds be different, as more turbines are linked over larger and larger regions the normal power output turn into less variable. Actually, the differences of wind turbines, spread out over various different wind regimes and sites, are smoothed, intermittent. Whereas today’s financial models do not keep the natural environment, simultaneously they get deeper human dependency on biodiversity and ecosystems. Climate change and environmental degradation are threatening the constancy of the current ecological systems. “Although climate change is a natural and constant process, there is a strong scientific and political consensus, internationally and within the UK, that the current increase in average temperatures results mainly from increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and that these increasing concentrations are the result, in part at least, of human influences. There is also general agreement that average temperatures are likely to rise even faster, particularly in the second half of this century, unless action is taken to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions” (Wind Energy and the Historic Environment 2011). The rising gap among poor and rich and the international North-South divide deprives a lot of of access to essential human needs, education and civic rights, guiding to additional environmental destruction. Modern industries have the possible to apply environmental resource management with principles of sustainability to achieve extremely effective outcomes. So as to attain sustainable growth with communities, environmental resource management and organizations must coexist with sustainability values. Noise Problem: “The study by a panel of independent experts found that the irritation caused by the noise around wind farms can affect certain individuals. Scientists dismissed the idea of a "wind turbine syndrome" where the vibrations in the air or the particular sound waves from wind turbines cause headaches, nausea and panic attacks” (Gray 2010). Implementation of Wind Power Energy: Impediments to wind power energy implementation reasoned by spatial arrangement procedures are generally based on false notions regarding the nature and the effect of public attitudes. The effect of public attitudes on the failure or success of wind power energy implementation is regularly overestimated. Together, the precious data that comes from theory-based, well-performed, survey research is mostly interpreted and unrecognized with strong bias. The major impediments to flourishing implementation have for all time been with the decision makers; the function of actors and institutions not representing the opinion public is much more important than public opposition. Issues to the important implementation of wind energy include siting conditions such as aesthetic, wind availability and land availability, and environmental concerns. Wind farms are the majority cost-effective in regions with reliable strong winds; on the other hand, these regions are not essentially near huge population centers. Therefore, power lines and other parts of electrical delivery methods should have the facility to broadcast this electricity to customers. Wind is an inconsistent and intermittent power source, storing power can be essential. Public support groups have increased concerns regarding the probable interruption that wind farms can have on natural world and on the whole aesthetics. Such as, the first planned offshore wind farm in the US, the Cape Wind Project situated in Massachusetts, has been different by populace concerned regarding the natural landscape. The London is the eighth biggest manufacturer of wind power in the earth. In the UK, wind power energy is the second biggest resource of renewable power after biogas. Additionally, wind generators have been blamed for killing and injuring birds; on the other hand, experts have exposed that modern turbines have a small consequence on bird populace. The National Audubon Society of UK and focused on the protection of birds and other animals, is powerfully in favour of wind power, given that wind farms are correctly sited to reduce the impacts on transferring bird populations and significant wildlife habitat. Discussion: As a project manager, it is necessary to understand the environment for the smooth functioning of the project. It is a very crucial and difficult task to find out the factors that influences both the human resources and the natural resources. According to the study, a sudden rise in England wind power ability will slowly slash profits for operators of coal and gas plants above the first three years as their power location supply more filler for irregular renewable. Elastic gas plants will create a more significant part in the upcoming power mix, but the management desires to make sure that this power location can improve their overheads to avoid them from stopping because of little profits, which would create a high risk. There are various issues and drivers involved in the formation of wind power generation in the company. Before implementing the project, these issues need to be assessed in the light of the present scenario. Managing change involves careful planning and its implementation. This process requires the involvement of the group affected by the changes. The change must be achievable, realistic and measurable. The changes should be made by taking into consideration the environmental sustainability. Change in the Quality of Products and Services: In order to reduce the effect of environment and to satisfy the customers, there is a need to improve the product quality and services. With the adoption of sustainable products, the producers can provide quality goods to the consumers, and as a result, the consumers can derive more flexible and functional products. Change in the Attitude of Employees: The change of people can be created by making the employees informed about the need and benefits of the wind power generation in the company. The manager must assure the workers that the implementation of wind power will give them future benefits. “In order to comply with legislation from the European Union, the UK’s renewable energy target (to produce 15% of final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020) may require between 35 and 40% of our electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2020. After 2020, a higher proportion may be needed.  A significant amount of this renewable electricity is likely to come from wind, and the variability of this power needs to be managed” (Managing the variability 2009). In the areas of tremendous utilization of resources, the wind energy is already competing with other fossil fuel technologies. With the rising demand of electricity, together with the assemble of environmentally harmful services there will be an increase of competitiveness for wind energy above the next two decades. It was found that with the dropping of wind turbine prices may dissatisfy the manufacturers, but for wind farm project developers it further increases the the cost-competitiveness of wind energy when compared with gas and Coal. Conclusion: Wind energy will continue to grow in the coming future, as a result of technical advancements, government support facilities, rising energy prices. “By converting wind energy into electricity, wind turbines reduce the environmental impact of power generation. Wind energy is currently the most developed of a number of renewable energy technologies, with more than 1,000 wind turbines already operating across the UK, producing around one quarter of one percent of the country’s energy” (Wind Energy and the Historic Environment 2011). Reference List Egbu, C & Renukappa, S n.d. The Key Drivers for Managing Sustainability-Related Knowledge: An Empirical Study. Print. Environmental Sustainability Management. 2010. Queensland Department of Public Works. Print. Gray, L 2010. Wind Farms Can Cause Noise Problems Finds Study. The Telegraph. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 28 March 2012] How to Find Energy?. 2008. BRARE. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 28 March 2012] Managing the variability. 2009. WWF. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 28 March 2012] What is Project Management?. 1997. MPyouG. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 28 March 2012] Wind Energy and the Historic Environment. 2011. Historic Environment Local Management. [Online] Available at [Accessed on 28 March 2012] Read More