To make strategic decisions for the successful integration of PV panels, as part of the energy
transition in Europe, it is important to analyse the environment in which the business operates.
The different interest groups can have a significant influence on the success of the business. The
business environment includes stakeholders within the organization(internal stakeholders), and
stakeholders who do not have a direct connection with the organization but have interest or
influence on it(external stakeholders). Once the supporters and opponents of the business are
identified it is crucial to understand their characteristics and level of power they hold to decide on
how to properly manage each stakeholder relationship (see overview in appendix F).

INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Internal Stakeholders are directly and financially involved with the operational processes of the
company. When looking at the PV solar market in Europe, the owners of the business have high
interest of the business success as their interest lays in the wealth maximization which is impacted
by the business’s success in the market, shareholders usually invest in several businesses, therefore
their interest can also be considered rather medium to high (Barba-Sánchez, V., Atienza Sahuquillo, C., 2017). Depending on which kind of shares they own they might possess voting and decision- making rights which would mean they have a higher influence on the business. The most effective strategy here is to fully engage with these stakeholders and keep them satisfied because they are a fundamental source of capital for the business.
Employees and managers are both stakeholders directly impacted by the organizational strategy and success which results in their high interest. The manager has a high influence on the project as he or she can make a strategic decision. Employees have a lower influence on the project than the manager, yet they are important as they a represent an essential role for carrying out the strategies and operations of the organization(Lumen, n.d.). Communicating regularly to adequately inform them will be most successful and engages them to ensure they are supporters of
the business.

EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
External Stakeholders are people or organizations indirectly impacted by the project but can have
a significant influence on the success of the business depending on their level of power. The
European Commission’s interest in the success of the PV panel integration in the European Union
is high. The Commission has very high ambitious long-term goals of becoming more carbon
neutral.

The European Commission goals have been to reduce emissions by 80-95% in 2050 since 2009
(European Commission, 2018). This political commitment sets the path to a more sustainable
future in Europe (European Commission, 2020a). Since the European Commission has legislative
power their influence can be considered as high. The relationship to this stakeholder should be
managed closely by communicating frequently to realize the integration of PV’s in Europe. (Fact
Sheets on the European Union, 2020)

In Europe, the supply side of PV panels is compromised of suppliers which predominantly procure
PV panels from manufacturers in China which offer mass-produced low-cost PV panels. Yet, some
suppliers also procure PV panels from small American and Asian businesses that offer high quality
and more efficient solar panels (European Commission, 2020b). To become less dependent and
reduce the risks of high foreign supplier dependency Europe has already planned on producing
their PV panels on mass (European Commission, 2020b). Risks are usually associated with delivery
performance such as delayed delivery chains (Sadgrove, 2016). However, as dependency still
exists, it is important to build up a good supplier relationship and keep them satisfied to maintain
an effective supply chain. Vendors are providing the service of installing PV panel and have a high
interest in the success of PV panels in the EU Market and rather medium power as they are an
important part of the marketing channel but are also constrained by consumer wants. Since they
are supporters and important part of the supply chain, good relationships should be established
with this stakeholder to build trust and ensure success.

One of the biggest opponents of the PV Market is the fossil fuel industry. The industry has a high
interest because the PV solar panels as renewable energy put their industry existence at the risk.
Fossil fuel energies do not align with the climate goals of the government, yet they are still the
dominate part of the current energy system, which gives them power. As opponents they will try
to use their power, they obtain to keep their business running and continue to capture profit. Their
influence is rather low because it does not align with the climate goals of the government, however,
they might use their power for lobbying to influence the government which could affect the speed
of the energy transition. Some fossil fuel companies started to orientate themselves towards
renewable energies, so they may become competitors or possible cooperatives (IEA,2020). Thus,
the most efficient way to deal with this stakeholder is to keep them informed. Trying to win their
support could be successful or not. 

Through this strategy, not too much valuable time is invested but the possibility remains to win
this stakeholder over towards a shift to renewable energies for future collaborations.
The media can have a significant influence on the successful integration PV solar panels in
western Europe, in particular regarding the acceptance of it within the society. In western
Europe, the media largely supports the fight against climate change and the energy transition
and the use of renewable energies such as PV solar panels.
The media has a medium to high influence and interest. The media has high influence because it
can influence the social acceptance of the PV technology which is one of the most important
requirements for successful integration of any technology (Heras-Saizarbitoria, Cilleruelo &
Zamanillo, 2011). Therefore, this relationship is most efficiently managed by monitoring and
frequent information exchange.

Another important stakeholder is the environmental groups in western Europe e.g. Greenpeace,
Fridays for future etc. They have a high interest in the successful PV solar panel integration as
they aim to stop global warming. Furthermore, they obtain low to medium influence on the whole
project. As main supporters, the relationship to this stakeholder is most efficient managed by
frequent communication to inform and consult.

Lastly, consumers have shown an increased interest in the solar power industry which is due to the
reduced cost and the broad support of renewable energies by society, a tool to fight climate change
(SolarPowerEurope, 2020). Even though consumers only have minimal influence on the business
itself they do have the potential to gain a higher influence. Consumers can gain more power
depending on how informed and educated they are of the market (Fitzgerald, Bone & Pappalardo,
2020). Therefore, it is most efficient to simply monitor the consumers and look out for any changes
in the level of influence they possess. With low influence, this stakeholder relationship is the least
important and therefore minimum effort should be invested. The priority should be focused on
the stakeholders with the highest power and interest.

STAKEHOLDERS MATRIX
As we have analysed the internal and external stakeholders, we were able to display an overview of
where the influence and interest of these stakeholders lie. By making a matrix as seen here below,
we can determine the different positions that these stakeholders have within the photovoltaic
energy generation industry.

(Figure 1, Stakeholder Matrix of Photovoltaic Industry)
Looking at the internal and external stakeholders in the stakeholder matrix it can be seen that
there is a high number of stakeholders that are placed on the right side of the matrix and
therefore either have high interest or influence or both, Thus, this means that there a lot of
stakeholders that need a high level of attention when making strategic decisions.

RULES OF THE GAME
There are certain rules, incentive systems and/or norms of behaviour in the political economy of
Western Europe we have to consider, respect and try to understand to have a successful project
take place, including Photovoltaic energy generating projects. Here below we mention certain rules
of the game an individual, community or organization has to acknowledge.
➢ Democratic; as mentioned above that the Western European countries have socialist
tendencies, but they are mostly ‘’officially’’ known to have democratic-socialist views to keep
the majority of the country residence happy. This also paves a way to open discussions about
what is best for the public, including renewable energy generation systems.
➢ Equality; this is very important in Western European countries as they are more on the socialist
side of capitalism where they focus on getting everyone the basic human requirements and
opportunities. This way of thinking also greatly helps with social stability, which can be argued
that most Western European countries have.
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➢ EU 2050 agreement; the agreement to reduce emissions gives a sort of a guideline to how
industries should operate and companies, industries and organisations that do not follow
through with the agreement will be looked down upon. This shows a great government
willingness to support sustainable energy development. This also helps businesses gain
subsidies and allowances for their sustainable activities
➢ Technological development; you have to innovate to stay ahead of the game to retain market
share or gain market share if innovation is removed from the equation, failure is almost certainly
inevitable. The rate of innovation helps with education in general and in turn, will keep the
general public relatively more informed about sustainable energy in general.
➢ Bureaucracy; some Western European countries are more bureaucratic than others, meaning
that in some countries it is harder for the general public to have their wishes, desires and
necessities heard by the people in power.
This can affect small communities that want to develop PV projects for example. Western
European countries are involved in the EU and have different legal processes put in place which
can cause a new law, legislation or regulation regarding PV to take a relatively long time.
➢ Lobbying; this is almost unavoidable in almost any region of the world, this can have a great
effect on the general direction of the sustainable energy generation industry as individuals or
groups of people can influence the government in either direction they want, this can be either
‘’good’’ or ‘’bad’’.
By looking at the rules of the game we can determine that the rules of the game in Western
Europe is caused by the democratic nature of Western Europe as a whole.
3.5 POTENTIAL COMBINED IMPACT OF STAKEHOLDERS
As mentioned above, stakeholders can have a significant influence on the success of the project
depending on the power and interest they obtain. However, what has not yet been addressed is the
potential combined impacted stakeholders can have if they work together, For instance, the
government, in this case, the European Commission, has high power and influence but it can
increase this by working together with environmental groups to promote the project. This could
also increase the interest and influence of the consumers if they start using their voice. In this case,
the media can play an important role as well because they can influence consumers by supporting
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and spreading opinions and attitudes towards climate change of the European Commission and
Environmental Groups.
Furthermore, fossil fuel companies could positively contribute to the combined stakeholders’
impact because some companies are already starting to orientate towards renewable energies.
Thus, a collaboration between renewable energy companies and fossil fuel companies could lead
to a much higher positive impact of stakeholders on the success of the project.
3.6 NONFINANCIAL RISK ASSESSMENT
The non-financial risk analysis aims to identify the non-monetary factors that can affect a company
and its performance. However, these factors will influence the monetary outcome of the company
in the future. To begin with, one needs to identify the company’s value drivers, the factors that
will create stockholders’ value .
After identifying the main factors that will contribute to the long-term success of the company, it
is necessary to translate the objectives of the company into measures that lead the managers in
their actions and help them in their decision-making process .Another aspect of the non-financial
risk assessment that needs to be clear is that non-financial risk or in short NFR is concerned with
operational and strategic risks that a company may face during its performance. Last but not least,
it is necessary to define risk in a solid framework to prevent confusion. Risk is made of three main
parts, impact or consequences, causes, and events. Further in this chapter these parts will be
discussed and will be used to provide clarification regarding existing risks and the proper approach
to deal with them .
To provide practical use of this assessment, the following structure is designed to carry out the
objectives of the tasks. To begin with, five main NFR derivers are identified based on the main
stakeholders and their relation to value creation. Then explain each one of them and break down
into three main parts of risk. With such an approach, there will be enough clarification regarding
them, and a company can use them to design more integrated strategies.
3.7 MAIN NON-FINANCIAL RISKS
3.7.1 Social resistance/acceptance
Impact: The attitude of the people that their lives are touched by renewable energy has a great
impact on the outcome. The amount of social contribution of society can determine the success or
failure of the project.
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Cause: The primary cause for developing resistance or acceptance towards renewable energy and
in this case the PV sector is the change. The attitude of the society toward the change and their
willingness to accept the challenge can determine they will resist or accept the company.
Events: Consider if the society accepts the new lifestyle they will contribute to the project and
willing to carry part of it. For instance, permitting the company to implement a new infrastructure
in their homes. In the other hand, if they resist it, they will have the power to stop the project.
In extreme cases, they can protest against it, as it happened before in the Netherlands against
implementing wind turbines in 2018.
3.7.2 Innovation
Impact: PV sector and in the general renewable energy sector is in the early stages of development
and it’s not surprising if a new technology were to be introduced and shift the current paradigms.
Innovation has the potential to increase the efficiency of the system and change the possible
outcome dramatically.
Cause: As mentioned before, the PV sector is developing every day and the need for more efficient
systems requires constant improvement on existing technologies. Also, the diversified application
of renewable energies opens different doors to its deployment in different situations.
Events: In case that the project owners face new technologies or in general new approaches to the
market, they need to decide to either alter their initial plan or continue with it. A critical and
flexible decision making regarding the matter can determine the success of failure of the project.
3.7.3 Geographical location
Impact: Choosing the right location to implement the PV panels is crucial and can single-handedly
change the outcome of the project regardless of the rest of the remaining conditions.
Cause: The cause of this big impact is the fact that renewable energy plants have complicated
designs and they need to meet their requirements to be operational. For instance, a PV panel
cannot generate electricity unless it absorbs a certain amount of sunlight.
Events: Such importance requires the project owners to conduct proper technical research to make
sure that the chosen location meets the requirement. Also, the project managers should be able to
adjust their plans to the people who are occupied the chosen location.
3.7.4 Local regulations and policies
Impact: To be able to acquire needed permits and eventually start to perform, the business or the
company needs to comply with local policies and regulations.
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Cause: Local authorities are responsible to provide and maintain a proper environment for the
society. Therefore, they have given the right to supervise the activities in society. Any sort of
business needs to be approved by these organizations be aligned with the policies.
Events: In this situation, the business needs to apply for the required permits, licenses, and in some
cases a simple approval. Since the energy sector is a highly sensitive market most of the
governments have strict rules regarding it.
3.7.5 Market competitiveness
Impact: A competitor with the higher potential to create value will demolish the business of the
company and will prevent the company to perform. Such a competitor will be the first option for
the customers, and it will prevent the company to make a profit.
Cause: The reason for such a correlation is the fact that costumers chose a product or a company
that is creating more value for the same price. This can be even more extreme in the energy sector
since it is part of literally everything in daily life and has a relatively high price. Therefore,
customers tend to look for a company with the potential to create more value.
Events: It is not surprising that costumers choose the company with a higher competitive
advantage, regardless of the reputation of the company.
By declining demand, the weaker company will be out of the game in no time. Since people always
are under heavy advertisement, they tend to evaluate the possible options at all times. In the energy
sector, customers have a very low degree of loyalty toward the companies since the product is the
same thing and the extra value is created around the main product with services.
Looking at the findings of the stakeholder analysis, it was found that there is a high number of
stakeholders that exists in the market need to be managed and take into consideration when
making a decision. Most of the stakeholders are supportive of the PV industry which also has to
with Western Europe being democratic. Governments strive to increase the use of renewables to
decrease CO2 emissions. In Western Europe there exists a high level of bureaucracy and
implementing projects might take a long time due to long approval processes. The society and
the media are largely supportive which is highly favourable for the PV industry because social
restraint is one of the most impactful non-financial risks. The biggest threat might arise from
fossil fuel companies that might use their power for lobbying and influencing the government.