[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8096]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SPACE SOLAR ALLIANCE

  (Ms. GIFFORDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GIFFORDS. Mr. Speaker, this week the Space Shuttle Discovery 
docked at the International Space Station to deliver the final platform 
of solar panels that will support additional laboratories and the 
arrival of an expanded crew.
  As the new chair of the Space and Aviation Subcommittee and a 
champion of solar energy, I am delighted by the space solar alliance 
that will advance human knowledge and technological development.
  The panels being installed 220 miles above us this week have a 
wingspan of a 747, and they contain over 32,000 cells, enough to power 
50 homes.
  Recently, First Solar, an Arizona solar panel maker, announced solar 
cells that will be less than $1 per watt. Global Solar, another Arizona 
company, creates solar cells that can be integrated into military and 
police gear.
  What started as an expensive niche technology is now a consumer-
driven, mass-produced product. Solar was absolutely vital to America's 
success in fulfilling our bold commitment to explore the heavens. Today 
it is playing a vital role in tackling an equally daunting task, 
America's energy independence.

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