93rd Congress, S. 3234 An Act To authorize a vigorous Federal program of research, development, and demonstration to assure the utilization of solar energy as a viable source for our national energy needs, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974”. DECLARATION OF FINDINGS AND POLICY SEC. 2. (a) The Congress hereby finds that (1) the needs of a viable society depend on an ample supply of energy; (2) the current imbalance between domestic supply and demand for fuels and energy is likely to persist for some time; (3) dependence on nonrenewable energy resources cannot be continued indefinitely, particularly at current rates of consumption; (4) it is in the Nation's interest to expedite the long-term development of renewable and nonpolluting energy resources, such as solar energy; (5) the various solar energy technologies are today at widely differing stages of development, with some already near the stage of commercial application and others still requiring basic research; (6) the early development and export of viable equipment utilizing solar energy, consistent with the established preeminence of the United States in the field of high technology products, can make a valuable contribution to our balance of trade; (7) the mass production and use of equipment utilizing solar energy will help to eliminate the dependence of the United States upon foreign energy sources and promote the national defense; (8) to date, the national effort in research, development, and demonstration activities relating to the utilization of solar energy has been extremely limited; therefore (9) the urgency of the Nation's critical energy shortages and the need to make clean and renewable energy alternatives commercially viable require that the Nation undertake an intensive research, development, and demonstration program with an estimated Federal investment which may reach or exceed $1,000,000,000. (b) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the Federal Govern ment to (1) pursue a vigorous and viable program of research and resource assessment of solar energy as a major source of energy for our national needs; and (2) provide for the development and demonstration of practicable means to employ solar energy on a commercial scale. DEFINITIONS SEC. 3. For the purposes of this Act (1) the term "solar energy" means energy which has recently originated in the Sun, including direct and indirect solar radiation and intermediate solar energy forms such as wind, sea thermal gradients, products of photosynthetic processes, organic wastes, 88 STAT. 1431 Solar Energy 42 USC 5551. 42 USC 5552. 88 STAT. 1432 Establishment. 42 USC 5553. 42 USC 5501 note. (2) the term "byproducts" includes, with respect to any solar energy technology or process, any solar energy products (including energy forms) other than those associated with or constituting the primary product of such technology or process; (3) the term "insolation" means the rate at which solar energy is received at the surface of the Earth; (4) the term "Project" means the Solar Energy Coordination and Management Project; and (5) the term "Chairman" means the Chairman of the Project. SOLAR ENERGY COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT PROJECT SEC. 4. (a) There is hereby established the Solar Energy Coordination and Management Project. (b) (1) The Project shall be composed of six members as follows: (A) an Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation; (B) an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; (C) a member of the Federal Power Commission; (D) an Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; (E) the General Manager of the Atomic Energy Commission; and (F) a member to be designated by the President. (2) The President shall designate one member of the Project to serve as Chairman of the Project. (3) If the individual designated under paragraph (1)(F) is an officer or employee of the Federal Government, he shall receive no additional pay on account of his service as a member of the Project. If such individual is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government, he shall be entitled to receive the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for level IV of the Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5315) for each day (including traveltime) during which he is engaged in the actual performance of duties vested in the Project. (c) The Project shall have overall responsibility for the provision of effective management and coordination with respect to a national solar energy research, development, and demonstration program, including (1) the determination and evaluation of the resource base, including its temporal and geographic characteristics; (2) research and development on solar energy technologies; and (3) the demonstration of appropriate solar energy technologies. (d) (1) The Project shall carry out its responsibilities under this section in cooperation with the following Federal agencies: (A) the National Science Foundation, the responsibilities of which shall include research; (B) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the responsibilities of which shall include the provision of management capability and the development of technologies; (C) the Atomic Energy Commission, the responsibilities of which shall include the development of technologies; (D) the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the responsibilities of which shall include fostering the utilization of solar energy for the heating and cooling of buildings, pursuant to the Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-409; 88 Stat. 1069); and (E) the Federal Power Commission, the responsibilities of which shall include fostering the utilization of solar energy for the generation of electricity and for the production of synthetic fuels. (2) Upon request of the Chairman, the head of any such agency is authorized to detail or assign, on a reimbursable basis or otherwise, any of the personnel of such agency to the Project to assist it in carrying out its responsibilities under this Act. (e) The Project shall have exclusive authority with respect to the establishment or approval of programs or projects initiated under this Act, but the agency involved in any particular program or project shall be responsible for the operation and administration of such program or project. (f) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is authorized to undertake and carry out those programs assigned to it by the Project. RESOURCE DETERMINATION AND ASSESSMENT SEC. 5. (a) The Chairman shall initiate a solar energy resource determination and assessment program with the objective of making a regional and national appraisal of all solar energy resources, including data on insolation, wind, sea thermal gradients, and potentials for photosynthetic conversion. The program shall emphasize identification of promising areas for commercial exploitation and development. The specific goals shall include (1) the development of better methods for predicting the availability of all solar energy resources, over long time periods and by geographic location; (2) the development of advanced meteorological, oceanographic, and other instruments, methodology, and procedures necessary to measure the quality and quantity of all solar resources on periodic bases; (3) the development of activities, arrangements, and procedures for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information and data relating to solar energy resource assessment. (b) The Chairman, acting through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other appropriate agencies, shall 88 STAT. 1433 42 USC 5554. Solar energy resources in (1) develop and carry out a general plan for inventorying all forms of solar energy resources associated with Federal lands and (where consistent with property rights) non-Federal lands; ventory plan. (2) conduct regional surveys based upon such general plan, using innovative meteorological, oceanographic, and space-related techniques, in sufficient numbers to lead to a national inventory of solar energy resources in the United States; (3) publish and make available maps, reports, and other documents developed from such surveys to encourage and facilitate the commercial development of solar energy resources; and (4) make such recommendations for legislation as may appear to be necessary to establish policies for solar resources involving Federal lands and waters, consistent with known inventories of various resource types, with the state of technologies for solar energy development, and with evaluation of the environmental impacts of such development. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Maps and reports, publi cation. SEC. 6. (a) The Chairman shall initiate a research and development 42 USC 5555. program for the purpose of resolving the major technical problems inhibiting commercial utilization of solar energy in the United States. |