Identify, formulate, and solve a problem by comparing a solar water heater for a municipal swimming pool to a natural gas heating system within the following guidelines.$$ Also, a specific alternative energy application should be chosen, and the technical and economic performance should be compared to that of the most appropriate existing technology.$$

Your problem should be as specific as possible $($the village swimming pool in Ada, OH$).$ Since most renewable energy applications trade lower operating costs for higher capital costs, the analysis must include a consideration of the time value of money.

While there may be $$online calculators$$ available for some technologies, these may only be used for validation.$$ The primary solution to the problem must be completed using equations or methods that can be clearly explained to the audience $($although the use of Excel, EES, Matlab, etc. to perform calculations is allowed$).$