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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 5581. Congressional findings and declaration of policy
(a) The Congress hereby finds that -
(1) the United States of America is faced with a finite and
diminishing resource base of native fossil fuels, and as a
consequence must develop as quickly as possible a diversified,
pluralistic national energy capability and posture;
(2) the current imbalance between supply and demand for fuels
and energy in the United States is likely to grow for many years;
(3) the early demonstration of the feasibility of using solar
photovoltaic energy systems for the generation of electricity
could help to relieve the demand on existing fuel and energy
supplies;
(4) the national security and economic well-being of the United
States is endangered by its dependence on imported energy
supplies which are subject to resource limitations, artificial
pricing mechanisms which do not accurately reflect supply and
demand relationships, and supply interruptions;
(5) the early development and widespread utilization of
photovoltaic energy systems could significantly expand the
domestic energy resource base of the United States, thereby
lessening its dependence on foreign supplies;
(6) the establishment of sizable markets for photovoltaic
energy systems will justify private investment in plant and
equipment necessary to realize the economies of scale, and will
result in significant reductions in the unit costs of these
systems;
(7) the use of solar photovoltaic energy systems for certain
limited applications has already proved feasible;
(8) there appear to be no insoluble technical obstacles to the
widespread commercial use of solar photovoltaic energy
technologies;
(9) an aggressive research and development program should solve
existing technical problems of solar photovoltaic systems; and,
supported by an assured and growing market for photovoltaic
systems during the next decade, should maximize the future
contribution of solar photovoltaic energy to this Nation's future
energy production;
(10) it is the proper and appropriate role of the Federal
Government to undertake research, development, and demonstration
programs in solar photovoltaic energy technologies and to
supplement and assist private industry and other entities and
thereby the general public, so as to hasten the general
commercial use of such technologies;
(11) the high cost of imported energy sources impairs the
economic growth of many nations which lack sizable domestic
energy supplies or are unable to develop these resources;
(12) photovoltaic energy systems are economically competitive
with conventional energy resources for a wide variety of
applications in many foreign nations at the present time, and
will find additional applications with continued cost reductions;
(13) the early development and export of solar photovoltaic
energy systems, consistent with the established preeminence of
the United States in the field of high technology products, can
make a valuable contribution to the well-being of the people of
other nations and to this Nation's balance of trade;
(14) the widespread use of solar photovoltaic energy systems to
supplement and replace conventional methods for the generation of
electricity would have a beneficial effect upon the environment;
(15) to increase the potential application of solar
photovoltaic energy systems in remote locations, and to minimize
the need for backup systems depending on fossil fuel, programs
leading to the development of inexpensive and reliable systems
for the storage of electricity should be pursued as part of any
solar photovoltaic energy research, development, and
demonstration program;
(16) evaluation of the performance and reliability of solar
photovoltaic energy technologies can be expedited by testing of
prototypes under carefully controlled conditions;
(17) commercial application of solar photovoltaic energy
technologies can be expedited by early commercial demonstration
under practical conditions;
(18) photovoltaic energy systems are currently adaptable on a
life cycle, cost-justified basis for certain of the energy needs
of the Federal Government, and will find additional applications
as continued refinements improve performance and reduce unit
costs;
(19) the Federal Government can stimulate innovation and
economic efficiency in the production of photovoltaic energy
systems through the development and implementation of policies to
promote diversity and maximum competition between firms engaged
in the research, manufacture, installation, and/or maintenance of
these systems;
(20) innovation and creativity in the development of solar
photovoltaic energy components and systems can be fostered
through encouraging direct contact between the manufacturers of
such systems and the architects, engineers, developers,
contractors, and other persons interested in utilizing such
systems; and
(21) it is contemplated that the ten-year program established
by this subchapter will require the expenditure of $1,500,000,000
by the Federal Government.
(b) It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United
States and the purpose of this subchapter to establish during the
next decade an aggressive research, development, and demonstration
program involving solar photovoltaic energy systems and in the long
term, to have as an objective the production of electricity from
photovoltaic systems cost competitive with utility-generated
electricity from conventional sources. Further, it is declared to
be the policy of the United States and the purpose of this
subchapter that the objectives of this research, development, and
demonstration program are -
(1) to double the production of solar photovoltaic energy
systems each year during the decade starting with fiscal year
1979, measured by the peak generating capacity of the systems
produced, so as to reach a total annual United States production
of solar photovoltaic energy systems of approximately two million
peak kilowatts, and a total cumulative production of such systems
of approximately four million peak kilowatts by fiscal year 1988;
(2) to reduce the average cost of installed solar photovoltaic
energy systems to $1 per peak watt by fiscal year 1988; and
(3) to stimulate the purchase by private buyers of at least 90
per centum of all solar photovoltaic energy systems produced in
the United States during fiscal year 1988.
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