Policy Memo 2: Final

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Should Amazon Use Solar Panels?

The problem of electricity and the use of other kinds of energy have been affecting the world in various ways. The problem address is meant for the CFO of Amazon who is in charge of all operations and financing of the company. The problem of difference in the energy sources impacts majorly on the environment. The change to solar panels as opposed to traditional methods of getting energy could be best for the company in making profits that would have instead gone into investment on energy sources.

For the longest time known the company has been using electricity and fossil fuels to run the machines and lighting of the industry. Electricity has dire effects on the environment depending on the source of energy. Electricity comes from a variety of fuels which impact negatively on the environment .The major source of electricity is fossil fuel which are used to run the machines in the industry. The fossil fuels are harmful to all aspects of the environment.

The fossil fuels affect the atmosphere by realizing gases that pollute the environment. The fuels are mostly compromised of carbon atom components that when not fully combusted are released into the environment as Carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. The gas is known to be a hot gas which causes global warming. The gas is hot and makes the atmosphere hot. The carbon monoxide is also harmful for brain development of children especially if living near the industries. The carbon monoxide stops oxygen from getting to the brain in a human being. There is also an effect on the land that the fossil fuels are excavated from. There is land degradation of the sites that mining goes on. The pits left after the mining has been done are later left to be filled with water since most companies that mine don’t mind the pits left.

Amazon also incurs a lot of cost in lighting of the company and industries. Lighting is an important aspect of any running company and it needs to be efficiently supplied at all times. The cost of electricity is increasingly becoming high since the fuels that produce the energy continue to be depleted. The cost of electricity increases the financing in the running of the company. The money used for the electricity could be used in financing other things. Alternative ways could be cheaper and save the environment.

To change on the electricity use problem, the company could alternatively us solar panels. Solar panels are used instead of electricity to do the same thing that electricity does. In lighting, solar panels generate heat energy by changing the light energy from the sun into the required types of energy that the company needs for both industrial and company productions. The only cost that is incurred with solar panels is installing them and maintenance after a long time. The cost of solar panels is a onetime investment that the company incurs. Solar system panels use the natural sunlight to create energy. Natural energy is not depleted since it’s renewable. There are no effects on the environment since solar panels are do not have by products or emit any gases when used. Solar panels would be the way to go for the organization for it to be longtime. Changing the industry to solar energy is both economical and environmentally safe.

References:

Pingel, S., Frank, O., Winkler, M., Daryan, S., Geipel, T., Hoehne, H., & Berghold, J. (2010). Potential induced degradation of solar cells and panels. 35th IEEE PVSC, 2817.

Moseley, P. T. (2006). Energy storage in remote area power supply (RAPS) systems. Journal of Power Sources, 155(1), 83-87.