Page 53 - DMGT521_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Project Management

Notes province. These industries would bring what are termed “green collar” jobs to the province,
an especially appealing prospect in a province bleeding manufacturing jobs.
The Association claims that using the farms for solar use will not harm the fertile farmland.
The farms will guard against soil erosion because of the cover the panels provide. Allowing
the land to lay fallow while being used for solar farms would also provide an opportunity
for nutrients to build up in the soil making it even more fertile if it were to be returned to
agricultural usage.

The reporter spoke with a farmer, Ray Roth of New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada who is a
farmer trying to develop solar farms. Mr. Roth pointed out that it would be contradictory
for the province to implement restrictions on the solar farms because it already provides
indirect subsidies to farmers who grow corn and other crops used for ethanol production.
The corn and other crops must be trucked to a plant which consumes fossil fuels, so
replacing a corn farm with a solar farm would reduce fossil fuel consumption because the
power would go directly on the grid.
Projects are always influenced by stakeholders who are not customers, clients, sponsors,
or members of the project team. They may not all be as influential as the government is in
this case, but must have their considerations taken into account in any case. The higher the
public profile of a project, the greater the number of public interest groups that will take
an interest in the outcome. The ideal time to identify these stakeholders is at the outset of
the project. Demonstrating the value of a “green project” to these stakeholders becomes
much easier when the groups are consulted with during initiation. The project manager
must take ownership of this effort, identify the interest groups, and engage them early on
in the project. Look for ways to demonstrate the benefit of the project to the public, paying
special attention to the interests representing by the group in question. Associations or
organisations may be available to manage these issues. Where these don’t exist, the sponsor
or project manager may need to engage the services of a public relations firm to state the
benefits of their project.
The benefits of the solar farms for the provinces economy (“green collar” jobs) has been
demonstrated by the Canadian Solar Industries Association. They have also demonstrated
the benefit to the environment, a reduction in fossil fuel consumption to produce electricity.
The problem they face is the backlash from farming groups who aren’t directly affected by
the demand for farmland for solar farms. These groups don’t directly benefit from either
of the two benefits stated above, and above all won’t benefit financially from the sale or
leasing of their farms for the purpose of building solar farms. But they do vote, a fact that
George Smitherman won’t miss. The Association faces a challenge from the government
before it can hope to get the farmland it wants and it will have to influence the government
to change their position on solar farms. Perhaps the best way of doing this would be to
provide a benefit to the farm groups backing the government’s position.
Question:

1. Analyse the case and discuss the case facts.

Source: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/green-projects.html

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