Evaluating Eco-Friendly Energy Solutions

Introduction

Purpose

This note is written to inform the Vice Chancellor of the best environmentally friendly energy source to be used by the University. The report is quite important for the universities continued greening efforts. These efforts are aimed at seeing the university meet its needs for different natural resources like water and energy without compromising, in any way, the abilities of others neighbouring the institution and close to it and also future generations to meet their own needs, and also, by making decisions that are friendlier to the environment. A more environmental focused university would act to ensure the stimulation of the students from civil, social and intellectual perspectives (Mayo, 2019). These efforts are aimed at lowering costs and facilitating the saving of money.

Current situation

The institution is currently spends considerable amounts of its annual budget on meeting its energy costs as a result of being connected to the National Grid with energy being used for lighting, cooking, and heating. The institution, has to pay monthly bills for this energy. In addition, the institution is also catalogued with paper still widely in use. The institution is looking forward to cutting its overall operational costs and this paper considers different greening options to identify one that would provide the institution a greater edge in its efforts.

Possible solutions

Installation of a solar system

There are different energy sources that could be adopted. The institution could set up its own solar system. One of the most abundant energy resources globally is sunlight and it is worth noting that this energy source is also freely available. No air pollutants are produced by solar energy systems not greenhouse gases (Kabir et al. 2018). Generally, solar panels have minimal environmental impacts beyond their manufacturing processes (ZEN Energy, 2018).

The initial costs of installing a solar system are however high and are dependent on the weather.

Going paperless

Another possible solution would involve the institution going entirely paperless in all its operations. That in effect would reduce paper consumption as all paper documents would be turned electric. Reduction of paper usage would have a direct impact on the institution reducing its carbon impact bearing in mind that most of the paper comes from virgin forests (Selwood, 2015).

According to Tiwari, Diwan and Sahu (2016), the turning of a single tree into paper reams leads to release of up to 110lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere. Trees also act as carbon sinks and any tree that is cut down to process paper has the potential of absorbing a ton-2000 lbs of CO2 in the entirety of its lifetime.

Why not go paperless?

While going paperless offers the promise of cutting down on wasteful paper use and reduction of costs, the number one concern for going paperless is data security (Selwood, 2015). Data in paperless offices is shared through wired or wireless networks which potentially increases the risks of security hacks and data breaches. The sharing of data through the cloud adds another layer of security risk. Rolling out the new technology would also require an investment of time and resources to train the students, their teachers and all other staff in the institution on paperless filing. There would be training costs involved. It is worth noting that technology evolves and it would be necessary to offer additional training to the students, their teachers and institution staff to ensure they keep up with new features and processes (Bradwell, 2009). Also, every new year sees new students joining the institution who would also need to receive the training. There is also the possibility that going paperless would increase the number of hours that are spent on computers potentially increasing eye-strain and deterioration of vision. These factors disqualify going paperless in preference for a different option without the attached training costs.

Use of e-bikes

Introduction of e-bikes could also be considered. These bikes use rechargeable batteries and are capable of travelling up to 25 to 45 km/h. That`s much faster than the average human would cycle which in effect would fasten movement of students, their lecturers and other workers in the institution, within and to and from the institution and replace other transport means that have negative impacts on the environment. E-bikes offer an energy efficient transportation means that is free of emissions, which has health benefits.

In comparison to standard bikes, e-bikes are used for longer journeys and as such have an higher potential of reducing carbon emissions from transport and further saving students and institution staffs money. In addition to cutting on the costs of commuting, e-bikes would also do away with the need to pay gym membership fees and further cut the time people spent on treadmills trying to get fit. The British heart foundation estimates that a 41-year old weighing 12 stone and cycling at moderate speeds for an hour everyday would burn up to 442 calories (Newson and Sloman, 2019).

Why not e-bikes?

While e-bikes promise a reliable transportation means that does not rely on gas, generally, e-bikes are pricey and have high maintenance costs. These maintenance costs are tied to the probabilities of the motor sensors in the bikes dying out, and even the need to replace the LCD screens in the bikes from time to time. When compared to standard bikes, e-bikes cost way more. Additionally, the batteries in these bikes have to be replaced from time to time and considering that most standard e-bikes are only able to run for a maximum of three years (MacArthur, Dill and Person, 2014), they would have a heavy toll on the institutions finances in the long run. There are also negative environmental impacts associated with the production of electric bikes and their batteries. It would not be advisable for the institution to pick it up the e-bikes technology yet considering the large number of students and other staff who would need the bikes. The high costs attached to purchase and maintenance of e-bikes lead to the consideration of a different option.

The best Solution

The installation of a solar system would provide the solution. Solar energy is recognised as a 100% clean, renewable source of energy (Sampaio and Gonzalez, 2017). Solar energy does not pollute air, soil or water. The sun has abundant power that is able to offer an unlimited energy source that does no harm to the ozone layer nor strip the landscape (Volkova, 2017). The institution would be powered by solar panels which charge during the day and store additional energy in batteries for use at night.

The installation of solar panels would contribute to significant offsetting of the university`s overall energy costs. These savings could even be accrued during the winter season in the UK which is characterised by heavy snowing. While many people would think that the United Kingdom with its reputation of a grey and cloudy weather would not favour production of solar energy, there is sufficient sunlight there that would sufficiently power solar panels. The UK gets up to 60% of the solar generation that is found in the Equator and receives amounts of sunlight that are comparable to those of Germany which is considered as being one of the largest photovoltaic markets globally (UK Solar Capacity: Is the Future of Solar Cloudy?, 2017). It is worth noting that it is not necessary for the sun to hit hard on solar panels so that they work. While, ordinarily, they would produce larger amounts of power during the days with a lot of sun, they also could produce amounts of energy that are considerable during cloudy, snowy days (Will Solar Panels Work in the Winter?, 2018). Even during winter, when the snow cover on the solar panels is light, sunlight is still able to navigate and charge them maintaining the production of energy. Even when it is snowing, the little available sunlight still reaches panels and keeps the cells producing energy. The ability of any snow that settles on panels to melt is accelerated by the dark glass on the panel.

Conclusion

There are possible solutions the institution could adopt for its greening efforts that could possibly help the institution to reduce its impacts on the environment and become more environmental friendly.

It is possible to install solar panels anywhere, either on the ground or even on rooftops. The only requirement is that they are tilted slightly to face the sun. The flexibility aspects of solar, its environmental friendliness, potential of reducing the institutions energy costs, their minimal maintenance costs in relation to the subsequent training and maintenance costs associated with going paperless and the acquisition and maintenance costs of e-bikes is what informs the choice of this solution.

As such, installation of a solar system would come in handy for the institution as it would do away with the need for reliance on the National Grid, and the installed solar panels would provide a clean, flexible, and cheap source of energy with minimal impacts on the environment.

References

Bradwell, R.S., 2009. The economics of going paperless: the case of container freight company (Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University).

Kabir, E., Kumar, P., Kumar, S., Adelodun, A.A. and Kim, K.H., 2018. Solar energy: Potential and future prospects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, pp.894-900.

MacArthur, J., Dill, J. and Person, M., 2014. E-Bikes in the North America: Results from an online survey. Transp. Res. Rec. J. Transp. Res. Board, 2468, pp.123-130.

Mytilinou, V. and Kolios, A.J., 2019. Techno-economic optimisation of offshore wind farms based on life cycle cost analysis on the UK. Renewable Energy, 132, pp.439-454.

Newson, C. and L. Sloman (2019). The Case for a UK Incentive for E-bikes. Transport for quality of life. London, Bicycle Association.

Sampaio, P.G.V. and González, M.O.A., 2017. Photovoltaic solar energy: Conceptual framework. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 74, pp.590-601.

Selwood, J., 2015. Going paperless in the classroom with mobile devices: pitfalls and benefits. Hiroshima Studies in Language and Language Education, 18, pp.165-177.

Selwood, J., 2015. Going paperless in the classroom with mobile devices: pitfalls and benefits. Hiroshima Studies in Language and Language Education, 18, pp.165-177.

Tiwari, U., Diwan, T.D. and Sahu, N., 2016. Save Green, Go green through paperless. International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER), 3(1).

Volkova, I., 2017. Using Solar Power: Possibilities for Ukraine.