IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormsom/v15y2013i4p527-536.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

OM Forum —Operations Management Challenges for Some “Cleantech” Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Erica L. Plambeck

    (Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305)

Abstract

A “cleantech” firm is one with an innovative technology and/or business model for serving an existing market with dramatically reduced environmental impact. This paper describes operations management (OM) challenges faced by five cleantech companies, and a few questions that these raise for OM and multidisciplinary research. It aims to fuel readers' motivation to identify and pursue others. The OM community has fundamental roles to play in the creation of an environmentally sustainable economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Erica L. Plambeck, 2013. "OM Forum —Operations Management Challenges for Some “Cleantech” Firms," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 527-536, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:15:y:2013:i:4:p:527-536
    DOI: 10.1287/msom.2013.0455
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/msom.2013.0455
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/msom.2013.0455?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert L. Smith & Rachel Q. Zhang, 1998. "Infinite Horizon Production Planning in Time-Varying Systems with Convex Production and Inventory Costs," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(9), pages 1313-1320, September.
    2. Ho-Yin Mak & Ying Rong & Zuo-Jun Max Shen, 2013. "Infrastructure Planning for Electric Vehicles with Battery Swapping," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(7), pages 1557-1575, July.
    3. Ali Hortacsu & Gregor Matvos & Chaehee Shin & Chad Syverson & Sriram Venkataraman, 2011. "Is an Automaker's Road to Bankruptcy Paved with Customers' Beliefs?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 93-97, May.
    4. Joshua Linn, 2008. "Energy Prices and the Adoption of Energy-Saving Technology," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(533), pages 1986-2012, November.
    5. Tim Kraft & Yanchong Zheng & Feryal Erhun, 2013. "The NGO's Dilemma: How to Influence Firms to Replace a Potentially Hazardous Substance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 649-669, October.
    6. Karan Girotra & Serguei Netessine, 2013. "OM Forum —Business Model Innovation for Sustainability," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 537-544, October.
    7. Jeroen Struben & John D. Sterman, 2008. "Transition Challenges for Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Transportation Systems," Post-Print hal-02312277, HAL.
    8. Guillaume Roels & Uday S. Karmarkar & Scott Carr, 2010. "Contracting for Collaborative Services," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(5), pages 849-863, May.
    9. Torpong Cheevaprawatdomrong & Robert L. Smith, 2004. "Infinite Horizon Production Scheduling in Time-Varying Systems Under Stochastic Demand," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 105-115, February.
    10. DeCarolis, Joseph F. & Keith, David W., 2006. "The economics of large-scale wind power in a carbon constrained world," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 395-410, March.
    11. Suresh Muthulingam & Charles J. Corbett & Shlomo Benartzi & Bohdan Oppenheim, 2013. "Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms: Order Effects and the Adoption of Process Improvement Recommendations," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 596-615, October.
    12. David Popp, 2002. "Induced Innovation and Energy Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(1), pages 160-180, March.
    13. Malte Meinshausen & Nicolai Meinshausen & William Hare & Sarah C. B. Raper & Katja Frieler & Reto Knutti & David J. Frame & Myles R. Allen, 2009. "Greenhouse-gas emission targets for limiting global warming to 2 °C," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7242), pages 1158-1162, April.
    14. Denholm, Paul & Margolis, Robert M., 2007. "Evaluating the limits of solar photovoltaics (PV) in traditional electric power systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2852-2861, May.
    15. Erica L. Plambeck & Terry A. Taylor, 2013. "On the Value of Input Efficiency, Capacity Efficiency, and the Flexibility to Rebalance Them," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 630-639, October.
    16. Chonnikarn (Fern) Jira & Michael W. Toffel, 2013. "Engaging Supply Chains in Climate Change," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 559-577, October.
    17. Lund, H. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2009. "Energy system analysis of 100% renewable energy systems—The case of Denmark in years 2030 and 2050," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 524-531.
    18. Owen Q. Wu & Roman Kapuscinski, 2013. "Curtailing Intermittent Generation in Electrical Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 578-595, October.
    19. Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman & Samaras, Constantine & Hauffe, Richard & Michalek, Jeremy J., 2009. "Impact of battery weight and charging patterns on the economic and environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2653-2663, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vishal V. Agrawal & Atalay Atasu & Luk N. Van Wassenhove, 2019. "OM Forum—New Opportunities for Operations Management Research in Sustainability," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 1-12, January.
    2. Anton Shevchenko & Moren Lévesque & Mark Pagell, 2016. "Why Firms Delay Reaching True Sustainability," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 911-935, July.
    3. Yue Dai & Tianjun Feng & Christopher S. Tang & Xiaole Wu & Fuqiang Zhang, 2020. "Twenty Years in the Making: The Evolution of the Journal of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 1-10, January.
    4. Emilio Domínguez-Escrig & Francisco Fermín Mallén-Broch & Rafael Lapiedra-Alcamí & Ricardo Chiva-Gómez, 2019. "The Influence of Leaders’ Stewardship Behavior on Innovation Success: The Mediating Effect of Radical Innovation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 849-862, October.
    5. Jose A. Guajardo, 2018. "Third-Party Ownership Business Models and the Operational Performance of Solar Energy Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 788-800, October.
    6. Karan Girotra & Serguei Netessine, 2013. "OM Forum —Business Model Innovation for Sustainability," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 537-544, October.
    7. Bhavani Shanker Uppari & Ioana Popescu & Serguei Netessine, 2019. "Selling Off-Grid Light to Liquidity-Constrained Consumers," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 308-326, May.
    8. Atalay Atasu & Charles J. Corbett & Ximin (Natalie) Huang & L. Beril Toktay, 2020. "Sustainable Operations Management Through the Perspective of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 146-157, January.
    9. Vidya Mani & Suresh Muthulingam, 2019. "Does Learning from Inspections Affect Environmental Performance? Evidence from Unconventional Well Development in Pennsylvania," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 177-197, January.
    10. Long He & Ho-Yin Mak & Ying Rong & Zuo-Jun Max Shen, 2017. "Service Region Design for Urban Electric Vehicle Sharing Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 309-327, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Atalay Atasu & Charles J. Corbett & Ximin (Natalie) Huang & L. Beril Toktay, 2020. "Sustainable Operations Management Through the Perspective of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 146-157, January.
    2. Buket Avci & Karan Girotra & Serguei Netessine, 2015. "Electric Vehicles with a Battery Switching Station: Adoption and Environmental Impact," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(4), pages 772-794, April.
    3. Wu, Pei-Ju, 2016. "Eco-activities and operating performance in the computer and electronics industryAuthor-Name: Chopra, Sunil," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 248(3), pages 971-981.
    4. Noailly, Joëlle, 2012. "Improving the energy efficiency of buildings: The impact of environmental policy on technological innovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 795-806.
    5. Frank, Alejandro Germán & Gerstlberger, Wolfgang & Paslauski, Carolline Amaral & Lerman, Laura Visintainer & Ayala, Néstor Fabián, 2018. "The contribution of innovation policy criteria to the development of local renewable energy systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 353-365.
    6. Gregor Singer, 2024. "Complementary Inputs and Industrial Development: Can Lower Electricity Prices Improve Energy Efficiency?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10944, CESifo.
    7. Klier, Thomas & Linn, Joshua, 2013. "Technological Change, Vehicle Characteristics, and the Opportunity Costs of Fuel Economy Standards," RFF Working Paper Series dp-13-40, Resources for the Future.
    8. Díaz Antonia & Puch Luis A., 2019. "Investment, technological progress and energy efficiency," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 19(2), pages 1-28, June.
    9. Suvrat Dhanorkar & Enno Siemsen, 2021. "How Nudges Lead to Improved Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing: Evidence from Archival Data and a Field Study," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(10), pages 3735-3757, October.
    10. Fragkos, Panagiotis & Kouvaritakis, Nikos, 2018. "Model-based analysis of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and 2 °C pathways for major economies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 965-978.
    11. Singer, Gregor, 2024. "Complementary inputs and industrial development: can lower electricity prices improve energy efficiency?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122365, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Henriksson, Eva & Söderholm, Patrik & Wårell, Linda, 2012. "Industrial electricity demand and energy efficiency policy: The role of price changes and private R&D in the Swedish pulp and paper industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 437-446.
    13. Solomon, A.A. & Kammen, Daniel M. & Callaway, D., 2016. "Investigating the impact of wind–solar complementarities on energy storage requirement and the corresponding supply reliability criteria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 130-145.
    14. Chien-Ming Chen, 2017. "Supply Chain Strategies and Carbon Intensity: The Roles of Process Leanness, Diversification Strategy, and Outsourcing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(3), pages 603-620, July.
    15. Oscar Lopez Jaramillo & Joel Rinebold & Michael Kuby & Scott Kelley & Darren Ruddell & Rhian Stotts & Aimee Krafft & Elizabeth Wentz, 2021. "Hydrogen Station Location Planning via Geodesign in Connecticut: Comparing Optimization Models and Structured Stakeholder Collaboration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-26, November.
    16. Sato, Misato & Singer, Gregor & Dussaux, Damien & Lovo, Stefania, 2019. "International and sectoral variation in industrial energy prices 1995–2015," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 235-258.
    17. Suvrat S. Dhanorkar & Enno Siemsen & Kevin W. Linderman, 2018. "Promoting Change from the Outside: Directing Managerial Attention in the Implementation of Environmental Improvements," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(6), pages 2535-2556, June.
    18. Trainer, Ted, 2013. "Can Europe run on renewable energy? A negative case," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 845-850.
    19. Shen, Zuo-Jun Max & Feng, Bo & Mao, Chao & Ran, Lun, 2019. "Optimization models for electric vehicle service operations: A literature review," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 462-477.
    20. Marin, Giovanni & Vona, Francesco, 2021. "The impact of energy prices on socioeconomic and environmental performance: Evidence from French manufacturing establishments, 1997–2015," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormsom:v:15:y:2013:i:4:p:527-536. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.