Energy recommendation
The law of conservation of energy or first law of thermodynamics states that, as long as an isolated system remains constant, energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but it transforms from one form to the other (Moskowitz, 2014). Taking this phenomenon into account, and as advisor to the President of the United States regarding Federal grants for energy research, I would suggest investing in solar energy.
Solar energy is available virtually everyday for several hours a day. It is freely available to all plants, animals, and human beings, and some physiologic mechanisms depend highly on it in order to ensure survival. The sun’s lifetime is expected to be longer than the human race’s, and we could take advantage of this relatively free source of energy to power our daily activities. Some of the advantages of solar energy are that it is sustainable, renewable, and can be used to generate electricity or heat (e.g. to heat water) (Damaschke, n.d.). Solar panels have no mechanical parts that could fail over time. This characteristic makes them extremely reliable and durable, so maintenance costs are very low (Damaschke, n.d.). Plus, solar panels make no noise, therefore avoiding noise contamination.
Solar energy also has some disadvantages. Solar panels can only be used during the day, when there is solar energy available, and its capacity is reduced on cloudy days. Fixed solar panels are not able to capture all potential solar energy available, because it depends on the angle at which the panel faces the sun (Damaschke, n.d.). However, there are simple and efficient ways to circumvent this, by using a solar tracking system with a rotating device and a light sensor (Rizk & Chaiko, 2008). Plus, installation costs are very high, at around 300€ per 1 x 1.7 m2 panel (Medford, Lilliedal, Jørgensen, Aarø, Pakalski, Fyenbo & Krebs, 2010). However, as previously stated, once intalled, they are very reliable and durable. Therefore, solar energy is well worthwhile the money spent.
References
Damaschke, N. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power, Facts about Solar Power. Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dama0023/solar.html
Medford, A. J., Lilliedal, M. R., Jørgensen, M., Aarø, D., Pakalski, H., Fyenbo, J., & Krebs, F. C. (2010). Grid-connected polymer solar panels: initial considerations of cost, lifetime, and practicality. Optics Express, 18(103), A272-A285.
Moskowitz, C. (2014, August 5). Fact or Fiction?: Energy Can Neither Be Created Nor Destroyed. Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/energy-can-neither-be-created-nor-destroyed/
Rizk, J., & Chaiko, Y. (2008, July). Solar tracking system: more efficient use of solar panels. In Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (Vol. 31).
