Business Research Part One
Learning Team D
RES/351
April 15, 2013

Business Research Part One
An increasing number of solar panels are popping up on the rooftops of homes and businesses across the Hawaiian Islands. Although this is beneficial to homeowners, businesses, and the environment, the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) grid systems cannot handle reciprocating the increasing photovoltaic energy. Fears of the entire system crashing could happen if the right actions are not taken (McCoy, 2013). In this research, Learning Team D looks at HECO to determine what actions they need to take to solve this solar issue. First the team provides research questions and hypotheses as well as variables and ethical considerations HECO should think about. Second they discuss the significance, scope, magnitude, and feasibility. Last they end with the research’s purpose and teams’ conclusion.
Research Questions
What type of action is involved to build smart grids and provide installation of advanced meters in neighborhoods across Oahu? How will smart electric grid technology improve electric service? At HECO, management focuses on solving the problem by upgrading their technology system to provide adequate electric service in urban areas of east Honolulu. HECO completes the East Oahu Transmission Project to improve the electric systems responsiveness and efficiency. Smart grids approach would save money and it allows HECO to limit the construction impacts to the surrounding community (Hawaii’s Energy Future, 2012).
Hypotheses
In this research, Team D will use the explanatory hypotheses. Cooper and Schindler (2011) describe explanatory hypotheses like an independent variable and a dependent variable because a change in one variable causes the other variable to change as well. An increase in the cost of imported fuel leads to an increase interest in renewable energy. An increase in renewable energy resources leads to the creation of solar installation companies. An increase in homeowner and business owner electrical savings leads to an increase in solar power absorption. Hawaii’s sunny climate also increases solar grid absorbency therefore, increases HECOs awareness of their solar energy overload (Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, n.d.).
Variables
In the State of Hawaii, we are blessed with a beautiful tropical environment, and the climate is ideal for solar energy production. HECO face issues and problems with photovoltaic companies in our state. Although solar energy is another option for Hawaii residents and business owners to generate electricity, HECO's energy storage systems are not capable of holding the electricity. Therefore, a variable would be for HECO to expedite the issues with overproduced electricity by requesting state and city inspectors to tighten their guidelines to attain building permits. Another variable for an oil based energy source company would be that employees might face future layoffs from increased use of solar power. Therefore, HECO has set a cap of 20 percent for solar power usage in the communities and increased their utility rates throughout the state. In addition, HECO and its battle to monitor the state’s electricity may employ costly training to educate their employees with solar (Hawaiian Electric Company, 2013).
Ethical Considerations
Solar energy is free during daylight, and after a solar panel system installed. Rapid global often happens because of the effects of climate change. The conventional process of creating electricity is by burning fossil fuels and different toxic, which turned, and create CO2. This process of creating electricity helps contribute to global warming. There are many ways to use the sun’s energy. It can be used in households like heating, cooking, and lighting. The ethics of solar panel is straightforward, and it is an ethical thing to do. Installing solar panels and using solar energy can save and prevent devastating effects to the environment. It also can lessen pollution to the environment (Birch, 2010).
Significance, Scope, Magnitude, and Feasibility
According to an article found in the LA Times, Hawaii solar power movement has doubled every year since 2007. It is costing the state of Hawaii upwards of $173.8 million in tax credits revenue in 2012, which had caused the state to cut the tax credit temporarily in half. Installing a solar panel system is quite expensive with the help of the tax credits the system would most likely pay itself off in savings in about seven years but because of the tax credit cuts it doubles the length that it would take for the system to pay itself off, forcing people to seek and install their own do it yourself solar panel systems that are cheaper and unpredictable, which could cause sudden power swings causing areas of the power grid to exceed the output from power plants in some areas. This could cause power fluctuations at HECO. The way Hawaii’s power infrastructure was set up it was not set up to handle power flowing in both directions that these do it yourself solar panel create. It could cost the state billions of dollars the state does not have to update the infrastructure to handle the two directional power if the state does however do want to go with the update of the power infrastructure the update would not be instantaneous but rather take years in the making, costing much more than it is it is saving people (Murphy, 2012).
Research Purpose
The purpose of the research is to discover if there are economically viable options to where the electrical grid can be expanded to accommodate the increase in solar generated power. Solar power is causing problems for HECO because it is pushing their power off the grid. Viable alternatives must be found to provide solar power to customers who want it and to cope with the problem of homeowners and businesses that are producing their own solar power. The research is important because the solar power problems could crash the system if problems are not addressed (Murphy, 2012).
Conclusion
Learning Team D discovers a management problem at HECO and designs a research plan to help define it. They start by asking research questions while developing explanatory hypotheses and considering the variables. Next they discuss the significance, scope, magnitude, and feasibility of HECO’s grid problem. Finally ending with the purpose of the research so that HECO can properly address the issue that too much solar flowing to and from an incapacitated grid can cause black outs statewide.

References
Birch, S. (2010, April 11). Ethics of Solar Power and Global Warning: Retrieved from http://www.greenplanetsethics.com/wordpress/ethics-of-solar-power-and global warming/
Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Hawaiian Electric Company. (2013). Going solar. Retrieved from http://www.heco.com/portal/site/heco/menuitem.8e4610c1e23714340b4c0610c510b1ca/?vgnextoid=0989c44a75709310VgnVCM10000005041aacRCRD
Hawaii’s Energy Future. (2012, September 26). Technology upgrade improves electric service in Urban and East Honolulu. Retrieved from: http://www.hawaiisenergyfuture.com/articles/20120926_EOTP_Ph2_Release.pdf
Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. (n.d.) Grid systems. Retrieved from http://www.hnei.hawaii.edu/research/grid-systems
McCoy, E. (2013, April 11). Building a solar economy: 4 lessons from Hawaii. Retrieved from http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/building-solar-economy-four-lessons-from-hawaii
Murphy, K. (2012, November 17). Hawaii’s solar power flare-up: Too much of a good thing?. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/17/nation/la-na-hawaii-solar-20121118

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Content70 Percent (approximately) | Does Not Meet Expectations 0-3 | Meets Expectations 3-7 | Exceeds Expectations 7-8 | Points EarnedX/8 | * All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way.Select an issue, opportunity, or problem facing your organization.What are the research questions?What are the hypotheses?What variables are to be considered?What ethical considerations must you take into account?Discuss the significance, scope, magnitude and feasibility of finding a solution to the issue, opportunity, or problem.Define the purpose of the research. | Does not fully address specifics of all four questions, significance, scope, magnitude, and purpose. Some elements may be missing all together. | Is general in descriptions and generally answers the four questions, and mentions the purpose, but does not elaborate. Significance, score, magnitude of the research issue are generally addressed. | Fully meets and/or exceeds answering the four questions and is very clear (articulating examples) about the significance, scope, magnitude, and clearly defines the purpose. | 7 | Organization / Development15 Percent (approximately) | 0-.5 | .5-1.5 | 1.5-2 | Points EarnedX/2 | * The paper is no more than 1050 words in length. * Paragraph transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. * The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. * Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. * Sentences are well constructed, strong, and varied. * Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought. | Does not meet word count and/or writing is not clear. Organization and development needs improvement. Does not flow as a single unit. The paper is disjointed. | Word count is met. The paper meets the requirements for organization and development. All parts are addressed, but more effort could be made to making the paper “one voice” | Meets word requirements and writing is clear and concise. The paper is very well thought out and flows well. It is clear that it is a collaborative effort. The paper is “one voice” | 1.75 | Mechanics 15 Percent (approximately) | 0-.25 | .25-.75 | .75-1 | Points EarnedX/1 | * The paper—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page—is consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements. * Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. * Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. * Spelling is correct. | Does not fully conform to APA and/or is missing citations or references and/or needs improvement in grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. | Fully conforms to APA and/or includes citations or references and/or meets in grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. | The paper is very well formatted and there are no mistakes withcitations or references and/or meets in grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. | .50 | Total Available | | | Total Earned | 9.25/11 |