Sustainable Electrical Construction - Research Paper Example

?SUSTAINABLE ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION Introduction The pace of popularity with the advocacy for the greening of our planet has moved with such speed that has really surprised analysts. This is because the concept of going green has been taken over by almost every aspect of our socio-economic life. Today, the campaign for going green is at the center of discussion in business, commerce, politics, media practice, religion, social studies and health (Trimble Navigation Limited, 2011). The new trend could be said to be a deviation of what existed in the past or better still, a betterment of what existed in the past as Glavinich (2007) notes that “in the past, this debate has been focused on the industrial, manufacturing and transportation sectors; now, energy usage and its associated environmental impacts have become a major issue in the building industry.” As a matter of fact, some quarters of debaters have even said that a major driving force behind a successful green campaign is the industrial process whereby the various processes that go on in manufacturing and production will be treated with a sense of urgency for the conservation of the environment (ZinCo Worldwide, 2011). Detailed reason why this is so will be discussed later but it would be noticed that the rate of industrialization has left us all with very few options other than manufacturing as many of the goods and products we need as possible. In the present paper, the electrical construction industry shall be used as a case study whereby a critical analysis of the industrial process that takes place during electrical construction shall be undertaken to understand the options of sustainability available for industry players and how best they have played their roles in ensuring that these roles are well played. Why Industrial Process is a focus for Sustainability The United States and other countries commonly referred to as the power houses of industrialization continue to depend on massive industrial development for the running of their economies. Interestingly, it is when some of these powerhouses survive in their economic dealings that the global economic climate becomes stable and sound (Diadem USA, Inc., 2011). But as much as it is important to embrace industrialization, it is equally important to understand the risks and challenges that industrialization carries so that when these challenges and risks are known, the needed risk management interventions would be developed towards them. Indeed, industrialization is highly associated with industrial processes whereby manufacturing and production takes the larger part of industries. Meanwhile, the means or source of energy in powering most of these industries in the industrial processes demand the use of energy sources that have long been known to be very threatening to the environment (Ludwick, 2011). Apart from the source of energy, the waste produced in the course of industrial processes such as smoke has also been identified to be highly harmful to the environment. Even more, the byproducts of most of the industrial processes have been suspected to be ill-treated and wrongfully disposed (Intelligent Design Group, 2011). Usability among end users also accounts for some instances of industrial process’ risk against the environment. This is because most end users have very limited knowledge on the best ways to handle the products they buy such that the products will not end up becoming a threat to the environment. It is against the backdrops listed above that it has become so necessary that industrial process becomes a focus for sustainability in the current research paper. Electrical Construction and the Environment Electrical construction is mainly concerned with the production of electricity and electricity products (Glavinich, 2007). This is often than by electricity construction companies. Lately, oil and gas companies have also been highly involved in this process. Depending on the locality and resources available to an electrical construction company, a number of materials may be used in the construction or generation of electricity and electricity product. As far as electricity products are concerned, copper, steel, aluminum, rubber and glass are common raw materials used. In terms of the electricity or what may be referred to as power hereafter, the raw materials commonly used by the electrical construction companies may depend on whether the company is undertaking renewable or non-renewable generation of power. In most cases generation of power is done using hydro dams and nuclear energy, solar, biogas, wind and thermal. In either cases as in renewable and non-renewable generation of power however, a lot of issues may be raised about the environment. This is because most electrical construction companies have often been blamed for depleting the environment in their bid to acquire raw materials for the construction of electricity and electricity products (Intelligent Design Group, 2011). It has even been said in some quarters that these companies have failed to be innovative in their technologies in carrying out power generation as a lot more of them continue to depend on the old system of power generation whereby new raw materials are used in the production, products used by end users and dumped, and an entirely new process starting again. In the next section, a vivid look is taken at the process involved in electrical construction process. Analyzing the process of Electrical Construction Electricity construction is a system; meaning it takes place by putting together a number of coordinated and disjointed processes in a common unit to produce a desired result. Greater part of processes that go on in the course of the construction is done at the electrical construction company who are often responsible for the conversion of large sources of energy into electric power for industrial and domestic consumption. Commonly, the process begins by identifying a suitable raw material to use. Research shows that proportion of raw material sources of energy used in electrical construction are available in the following percentages Source as of 2008 Percentage Coal Oil Natural gas Hydro Nuclear Other 41 5 21 16 13 3 Total 100 Source: (Glavinich, 2007) The availability of the raw material will determine the source to be used for the construction. The process is continued with the powering of power plants with the source of energy. On a global statistical average, the quantity of energy fed into power plants represented 36% of available primary sources of power in 2008 (University of Minnesota, 2011). Out of the total power fed into the power plant, an average of 39% output is generated as gross electricity whiles the remaining 61% comes off as heat (Trimble Navigation Limited, 2011). There is then a point when co-generation heat and power plant is reached and this is 3% of the total input of energy. Of the eventual power that is produced, 33% of energy taken up by the power plant and power co-generation plants comes as the consumable electricity used in homes and industries. Process Mapping There is also another trend of process that could be said to be more domestic than industrial. This is because this form of electrical construction process takes place among residential electrical constructors. Of these, five major processes may be mapped out on how the electrical process flows in among practitioners now. Suggest ways to make that process more sustainable The topic of sustainability remains a very useful one in modern discussions especially when the emphasis is on ways of preserving the environment and making it useful for generational use. Indeed, under the topic of electrical construction also, there are several aspects of it that sustainability becomes useful and relevant. Sustainability remains a topical issue in electrical construction for a number of reasons. In the first place, materials that are used in electrical constructions are permissible to a number of methods of sustainability including recycling and reuse. Secondly, other materials and products that come out as a byproduct of sustainability could be used in the actual electric construction process. What is more, sustainability in electric construction has been identified as a necessity for the growth and advancement of energy generation and can therefore not be ignored. In the light of these, two major methods or processes available for the making of the electric construction process are discussed below. Generally, recycling and reuse refer to the practice of reforming a product or material that has already been used so that it becomes changed into another form and thus becomes useful for another purpose (Energy Management Services,2011). Several factors explain how and why recycling could make electric construction easier and more sustainable. In the first place, there is the abundance of raw materials that can actually be used in the generation of electric power to avoid the use of more sophisticated and expensive manufactured materials. In construction and demolition alone, the environmental protection agency of the United States reports that 325 million tons of total waste is produced in a year (Diadem USA, Inc., 2011). What this means is that once recycling is adapted, there will be the availability and readiness of raw materials in the form of waste. Once this is done, sustainability will be achieved because the original form of generating power by using technical refined energy has been identified to be very harmful to the environment (Energy Management Services,2011). Apart from the use of recycled materials as raw materials for electric construction products, there also exists the abundance of waste materials that can actually be used to general original electric power. Human excreta and waste from dump sites are examples of such waste. Once these wastes are used, sustainability is achieved or ensured because other forms of natural resources such as hydro dams and crude will be preserved for sustainable generational use. As the demand for electric power in domestic and commercial quantities have been projected to increase by the years, it is very important that a compiling strategy such as the dependence on recycling and reuse be adopted to ensure that the pressure that is put on natural resources available will be reduced. In the absence of this, the environment is certainly going to suffer from depletion and will come a time when it can no longer match up human dependence on it. Conclusion Sustainability of the environment is a responsibility that we all bear and hold a duty to undertake. This is because the future of our planet has been directly linked to the sustainability of the present environment. However, not much is being done within the electrical construction industry to be part of this sustainability campaign. This is because most industry players in the electrical construction industry continue to use old fashioned and outdated processes in their construction, failing to switch to the new system and be part of the paradigm shift. It is therefore high time all such electrical construction companies became part of the larger industrial community that has taken sustainability to be a major policy process in all their undertakings. Interestingly, there are several options for electrical construction companies who want to go green to switch to. Some of these include recycling and reuse. Fortunately, most of the raw materials used in the construction of electricity can be recycled or reused and these recycled and reused materials can serve the very purposes for which they were initially opted for. Some of these raw materials include copper, cardboards, aluminum and steel. It is said that the consumer world could also play a role by ensuring that the cherish sustainability in the electrical construction industry as a major competitive advantage and decide to do business only with such companies that decide to go green. This way, it would become imperative on electrical construction companies to admit the fact that they have no other choice than to be part of the new paradigm. REFERENCE LIST “Energy Management Services.” PACE Roundtable. The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA. 9 November 2011. Roundtable Breakout Session. Diadem USA, Inc., Green Up the Roof. 2011. Web. 7 December 2011. Glavinich E Thomas. Going Green: Good for the environment; good for business2007. Web. February 22, 2013. Intelligent Design Group (IDG), LLP. “River Vue Apartments Rendering.” 2011. JPEG file. Ludwick, Kevin. Personal Interview. 2011 November 11. Trimble Navigation Limited, Trimble. 2011. “Trimble Cx 3D Laser Scanner.” Web. 7 December 2011. University of Minnesota. Windows for High Performance Commercial Buildings. College of Design, 2007. Web. 7 December 2011. ZinCo Worldwide. ZinCo-Green Roof., 2011. Web. 7 December 2011. Read More