II 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3224 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 7, 2008 Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Specter, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To increase the quantity of solar photovoltaic electricity by providing rebates for the purchase and installation of an additional 10,000,000 photovoltaic systems by 2018.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the 10 Million-Solar Roofs Act of 2008.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that— (1)(A)there is huge potential for increasing the quantity of electricity produced in the United States from distributed solar photovoltaics; and (B)the use of photovoltaics on the roofs of 10 percent of existing buildings could meet 70 percent of peak electric demand; (2)investment in solar photovoltaics technology will create economies of scale that will allow the technology to deliver electricity at prices that are competitive with electricity from fossil fuels; (3)electricity produced from distributed solar photovoltaics helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and does not emit harmful air pollutants, such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides; (4)electricity produced from distributed solar photovoltaics enhances national energy security; (5)investments in renewable energy stimulate the development of green jobs that provide substantial economic benefits; (6)(A)rebate programs in several States have been successful in increasing the quantity of solar energy from distributed photovoltaics; (B)the State of California has used rebate programs to install nearly 300 megawatts of grid-connected photovoltaics since 2000; and (C)the State of New Jersey has installed nearly 50 megawatts of grid-connected photovoltaics since 2001, including 20 megawatts in 2007 alone; and (7)Germany has installed nearly 4,000 megawatts of distributed solar photovoltaics and sustained an annual growth rate approaching 67 percent since enacting aggressive laws to encourage photovoltaic installations

3.

Rebates for purchase and installation of photovoltaic systems

(a)

In general

The Secretary of Energy (referred to in this Act as the Secretary) shall establish a program under which the Secretary shall provide rebates to eligible individuals or entities for the purchase and installation of photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial properties in order to install, over the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, at least an additional 10,000,000 solar systems in the United States (as compared to the number of solar systems installed in the United States as of the date of enactment of this Act) with a cumulative capacity of at least 30,000 megawatts. (b)

Eligibility

(1)

In general

To be eligible for a rebate under this section— (A)the recipient of the rebate shall be a homeowner, business, nonprofit entity, or State or local government that purchased and installed a photovoltaic system for a property located in the United States; (B)the total capacity of the photovoltaic system for the property shall not exceed 4 megawatts; (C)the buildings on the property for which the photovoltaic system is installed shall— (i)in the case of a new or renovated building, achieve a rating of not less than 75 under the Energy Star program established by section 324A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6294a) (or an equivalent rating under an established benchmarking metric); and (ii)in the case of any building not described in clause (i), be retrofitted to achieve a rating improvement of not less than 30 points under the Energy Star program (or an equivalent improvement under an established benchmarking metric); and (D)the recipient of the rebate shall meet such other eligibility criteria as are determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. (2)

Other entities

After public review and comment, the Secretary may identify other individuals or entities located in the United States that qualify for a rebate under this section. (c)

Amount

(1)

In general

Subject to paragraph (2), the amount of a rebate provided to an eligible individual or entity for the purchase and installation of a photovoltaic system for a property under this section shall be at least $3 for each watt of installed capacity. (2)

Maximum amount

The total amount of a rebate provided to an eligible individual or entity for the purchase and installation of a photovoltaic system for a property under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the purchase and installation of the system. (d)

Relationship to other law

The authority provided under this section shall be in addition to any other authority under which credits or other types of financial assistance are provided for installation of a photovoltaic system for a property. (e)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.