WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

WEEK 6 ASSIGNMENT.

 

            For this exercise we are required to envision practical solutions to a seemingly never ending problem in my community of origin. I refer to the lack of electrical power that plagues our neighborhoods, our towns and the nation as a whole.

            There cannot be any progress in any society in which its energy needs are not met. The lack of electric power affects the industrial capacity of the country, increase drastically the costs of goods and services with the subsequent impact in the wellbeing of the people.

            In order to correct this grave issue, avenues such as alternative sources of energy (Solar energy, Wind, Tides related energy, Geothermal, etc.) should be investigated to decide in a plan of action that will make this energy scarcity a thing of the past.

            My preferred solution is to devote resources to Solar Energy. The Dominican Republic has one of the highest irradiance levels in the Caribbean (Irradiance is a measure of the amount of solar energy received by a given location) and thus, if a viable method of capturing, storing and distributing is agreed upon, it will nicely complement the actual level of production.

            In order to further this idea, we should form three teams with a different emphasis in one aspect of the problem; one team will investigate the current level of research in making photovoltaic processes more efficient, in order to lower the price per Kw of the energy captured, another team will devote itself to ensure that the energy captured is efficiently stored prior to distribution, this means that the current materials science in batteries and/or fuel cells need to be investigated and decided upon; the last team will make determinations about the best way to minimize transmission lines losses to ensure that the recipients have access to a clean and stable delivery of electrical power.