[House Report 110-303]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 110-303
======================================================================
SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH AND ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2007
_______
August 3, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, from the Committee on Science and Technology,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 2774]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science and Technology, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 2774) to support the research, development, and
commercial application of solar energy technologies, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably
thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as
amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Amendment.......................................................2
II. Purpose of the Bill.............................................5
III. Background and Need for the Legislation.........................5
IV. Hearing Summary.................................................7
V. Committee Actions...............................................8
VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill, As Reported............9
VII. Section-by-Section Analysis (by Title and Section), As Reported10
VIII. Committee View.................................................11
IX. Cost Estimate..................................................13
X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate......................13
XI. Compliance with Public Law 104-4...............................15
XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations...............15
XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives..........15
XIV. Constitutional Authority Statement.............................16
XV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement...........................16
XVI. Congressional Accountability Act...............................16
XVII. Earmark Identification.........................................16
XVIII.Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law.........16
XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported..........16
XX. Committee Recommendations......................................16
XXI. Proceedings of the Subcommittee Markup.........................17
XXII. Proceedings of the Full Committee Markup.......................30
I. Amendment
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Solar Energy Research and Advancement
Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ``Department'' means the Department of Energy.
(2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Energy.
SEC. 3. THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program of
research and development to provide lower cost and more viable thermal
energy storage technologies to enable the shifting of electric power
loads on demand and extend the operating time of concentrating solar
power electric generating plants.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for carrying out this section $5,000,000
for fiscal year 2008, $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, $9,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, and $12,000,000 for
fiscal year 2012.
SEC. 4. CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER COMMERCIAL APPLICATION STUDIES.
(a) Integration.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on methods to
integrate concentrating solar power into regional electricity
transmission systems, and to identify new transmission or transmission
upgrades needed to bring electricity from high concentrating solar
power resource areas to growing electric power load centers throughout
the United States. The study shall analyze and assess cost-effective
approaches for management and large-scale integration of concentrating
solar power into regional electric transmission grids to improve
electric reliability, to efficiently manage load, and to reduce demand
on the natural gas transmission system for electric power. The
Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the results of this
study not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Water Consumption.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall transmit to
Congress a report on the results of a study on methods to reduce the
amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems.
SEC. 5. SOLAR ENERGY CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION GRANTS.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish in the Office of
Solar Energy Technologies a competitive grant program to create and
strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship programs in
installation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy products. The
goal of this program is to ensure a supply of well-trained individuals
to support the expansion of the solar energy industry.
(b) Authorized Activities.--Grant funds may be used to support the
following activities:
(1) Creation and development of a solar energy curriculum
appropriate for the local educational, entrepreneurial, and
environmental conditions, including curriculum for community
colleges.
(2) Support of certification programs, such as the North
American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, for
individual solar energy system installers, instructors, and
training programs.
(3) Internship programs that provide hands-on participation
by students in commercial applications.
(4) Activities required to obtain certification of training
programs and facilities by the Institute of Sustainable Power
or an equivalent industry-accepted quality-control
certification program.
(5) Incorporation of solar-specific learning modules into
traditional occupational training and internship programs for
construction-related trades.
(6) The purchase of equipment necessary to carry out
activities under this section.
(7) Support of programs that provide guidance and updates to
solar energy curriculum instructors.
(c) Administration of Grants.--Grants may be awarded under this
section for up to 3 years. The Secretary shall award grants to ensure
sufficient geographic distribution of training programs nationally.
Grants shall only be awarded for programs certified by the Institute of
Sustainable Power or an equivalent industry-accepted quality-control
certification institution, or for new and growing programs with a
credible path to certification. Due consideration shall be given to
women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities.
(d) Report.--The Secretary shall make public, via the website of the
Department or upon request, information on the name and institution for
all grants awarded under this section, including a brief description of
the project as well as the grant award amount.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for carrying out this section $10,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
SEC. 6. DAYLIGHTING SYSTEMS AND DIRECT SOLAR LIGHT PIPE TECHNOLOGY.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program of
research and development to provide assistance in the demonstration and
commercial application of direct solar renewable energy sources to
provide alternatives to traditional power generation for lighting and
illumination, including light pipe technology, and to promote greater
energy conservation and improved efficiency. All direct solar renewable
energy devices supported under this program shall have the capability
to provide measurable data on the amount of kilowatt-hours saved over
the traditionally powered light sources they have replaced.
(b) Reporting.--The Secretary shall transmit to Congress an annual
report assessing the measurable data derived from each project in the
direct solar renewable energy sources program and the energy savings
resulting from its use.
(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``direct solar renewable energy'' means energy
from a device that converts sunlight into useable light within
a building, tunnel, or other enclosed structure, replacing
artificial light generated by a light fixture and doing so
without the conversion of the sunlight into another form of
energy; and
(2) the term ``light pipe'' means a device designed to
transport visible solar radiation from its collection point to
the interior of a building while excluding interior heat gain
in the nonheating season.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for carrying out this section $3,500,000
for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
SEC. 7. SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a research,
development, and demonstration program to promote less costly and more
reliable decentralized distributed solar-powered air conditioning for
individuals and businesses.
(b) Authorized Activities.--Grants made available under this section
may be used to support the following activities:
(1) Advancing solar thermal collectors, including
concentrating solar thermal and electric systems, flat plate
and evacuated tube collector performance.
(2) Achieving technical and economic integration of solar-
powered distributed air-conditioning systems with existing hot
water and storage systems for residential applications.
(3) Designing and demonstrating mass manufacturing capability
to reduce costs of modular standardized solar-powered
distributed air conditioning systems and components.
(4) Improving the efficiency of solar-powered distributed
air-conditioning to increase the effectiveness of solar-powered
absorption chillers, solar-driven compressors and condensors,
and cost-effective precooling approaches.
(5) Researching and comparing performance of solar-powered
distributed air conditioning systems in different regions of
the country, including potential integration with other onsite
systems, such as solar, biogas, geothermal heat pumps, and
propane assist or combined propane fuel cells, with a goal to
develop site-specific energy production and management systems
that ease fuel and peak utility loading.
(c) Cost Sharing.--The non-Federal share of research and development
projects supported under this section shall be not less than 20
percent, and for demonstration projects shall be not less than 50
percent.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for carrying out this section $2,500,000
for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
SEC. 8. PHOTOVOLTAIC DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program of grants to
States to demonstrate advanced photovoltaic technology.
(b) Requirements.--
(1) Ability to meet requirements.--To receive funding under
the program under this section, a State must submit a proposal
that demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that
the State will meet the requirements of subsection (f).
(2) Compliance with requirements.--If a State has received
funding under this section for the preceding year, the State
must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that it
complied with the requirements of subsection (f) in carrying
out the program during that preceding year, and that it will do
so in the future, before it can receive further funding under
this section.
(3) Funding allocation.--Each State submitting a qualifying
proposal shall receive funding under the program based on the
proportion of United States population in the State according
to the 2000 census. In each fiscal year, the portion of funds
attributable under this paragraph to States that have not
submitted qualifying proposals in the time and manner specified
by the Secretary shall be distributed pro rata to the States
that have submitted qualifying proposals in the specified time
and manner.
(c) Competition.--If more than $25,000,000 is available for the
program under this section for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall
allocate 75 percent of the total amount of funds available according to
subsection (b)(3), and shall award the remaining 25 percent on a
competitive basis to the States with the proposals the Secretary
considers most likely to encourage the widespread adoption of
photovoltaic technologies.
(d) Proposals.--Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, and in each subsequent fiscal year for the life of the
program, the Secretary shall solicit proposals from the States to
participate in the program under this section.
(e) Competitive Criteria.--In awarding funds in a competitive
allocation under subsection (c), the Secretary shall consider--
(1) the likelihood of a proposal to encourage the
demonstration of, or lower the costs of, advanced photovoltaic
technologies; and
(2) the extent to which a proposal is likely to--
(A) maximize the amount of photovoltaics
demonstrated;
(B) maximize the proportion of non-Federal cost
share; and
(C) limit State administrative costs.
(f) State Program.--A program operated by a State with funding under
this section shall provide competitive awards for the demonstration of
advanced photo-voltaic technologies. Each State program shall--
(1) require a contribution of at least 60 percent per award
from non-Federal sources, which may include any combination of
State, local, and private funds, except that at least 10
percent of the funding must be supplied by the State;
(2) endeavor to fund recipients in the commercial,
industrial, institutional, governmental, and residential
sectors;
(3) limit State administrative costs to no more than 10
percent of the grant;
(4) report annually to the Secretary on--
(A) the amount of funds disbursed;
(B) the amount of photovoltaics purchased; and
(C) the results of the monitoring under paragraph
(5);
(5) provide for measurement and verification of the output of
a representative sample of the photovoltaics systems
demonstrated throughout the average working life of the
systems, or at least 20 years; and
(6) require that applicant buildings must have received an
independent energy efficiency audit during the 6-month period
preceding the filing of the application.
(g) Unexpended Funds.--If a State fails to expend any funds received
under subsection (b) or (c) within 3 years of receipt, such remaining
funds shall be returned to the Treasury.
(h) Reports.--The Secretary shall report to Congress 5 years after
funds are first distributed to the States under this section--
(1) the amount of photovoltaics demonstrated;
(2) the number of projects undertaken;
(3) the administrative costs of the program;
(4) the amount of funds that each State has not received
because of a failure to submit a qualifying proposal, as
described in subsection (b)(3);
(5) the results of the monitoring under subsection (f)(5);
and
(6) the total amount of funds distributed, including a
breakdown by State.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary for the purposes of carrying out this
section--
(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
(3) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
(4) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
(5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
II. Purpose
The purpose of the H.R. 2774 is to support the research,
development, and commercial application of solar energy
technologies.
III. Background and Need for the Legislation
The first two sections of H.R. 2774 are specifically
related to furthering the development of concentrating solar
power (CSP). A 2006 report by the Western Governors'
Association assessed the overall near-term potential for CSP
capacity in the American Southwest, taking into account areas
of high solar ray intensity, near-level land, non-sensitivity
to CSP use, and proximity to transmission. The resulting set of
potential plant sites totaled 200 GW of potential power
production. To put this in perspective, the electric generating
capacity of the entire United States is currently about 1,000
GW. Some significant challenges remain to widespread
implementation of CSP, however.
CSP plants produce electric power by converting the sun's
energy into high-temperature heat using various mirror
configurations. The heat is then channeled through a
conventional generator. These plants consist of two parts: one
that collects solar energy and converts it to heat, and another
that converts heat energy to electricity. Thermal energy
storage technology allows this heat to be retained for later
use in generating electricity, such as during periods of
passing clouds or into the evening. The Energy Policy Act of
2005 establishes a CSP research and development program, but
storage is not included in the language. Witnesses at a hearing
before the Subcommittee on June 19, 2007 agreed that storage
technology is critical to the viability of CSP as a significant
energy option. Dr. Dan Arvizu, the Director of the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, noted that ``the ability of CSP
technologies to store energy presents an opportunity . . . [to]
produce baseload power at about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Such
systems would include 13-17 hours of thermal storage and would
compete with the cost of power from coal plants using carbon
sequestration technology. It is expected that an aggressive R&D
program could achieve the cost goal by 2020.'' H.R. 2774
establishes a program dedicated to advancing research and
development in thermal energy storage for CSP, authorizing $5
million for this program in fiscal year (FY) 2008, and steadily
increasing to $12 million in FY 2012.
The bill also tasks the Department of Energy (DOE) with
conducting two studies. The first would examine methods to
integrate concentrating solar power with regional electricity
transmission systems, and to identify new transmission or
transmission upgrades needed to bring electricity from high
concentrating solar power resource areas to growing electric
power load centers throughout the United States. Along with Dr.
Arvizu, Mr. Herbert Hayden, Solar Technology Coordinator for
the Arizona Public Service (APS), lent his support to this
study, explaining that: ``Intermittent renewable resources such
as wind and solar present special economic challenges for
transmission investment because they do not efficiently utilize
the transmission investment at all times . . . We believe CSP
has a significant potential to provide large amounts of
renewable energy to the U.S. and that a Federal study on
transmission for large scale CSP would be beneficial and
appropriate.''
The second study would report on methods to reduce the
amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems,
given the strain on water resources in the Southwest. As in
typical power plants, water is a necessary component in CSP
plants, as the heat collected is used to boil water, and this
steam pushes turbines which generate electricity. A significant
amount of water is usually also used as a cooling agent to
transfer waste heat in the plant's thermodynamic cycle to the
environment. A CSP plant with wet (typical) cooling can use
800-1000 gallons of water per MWh. Mr. Hayden and Dr. Arvizu
both agreed that minimizing water usage is an important factor
in reducing cost and making CSP a more attractive option in the
desert climates where such plants will most likely be built.
The results of both of these studies will help define a roadmap
for large-scale implementation of CSP to meet the Nation's
growing energy needs.
The third component of H.R. 2774 addresses the solar
industry in general. Having a certified, well-trained workforce
to install and maintain solar energy products is critical to
the success of the industry. DOE estimates that approximately
5,000 trained installers may be needed by 2015 to accomplish
its new Solar America Initiative, and to date, there are just
365 certified solar electric installers and 40 certified solar
thermal installers in the U.S.
Some States, such as New York and Florida, working with
local community colleges, businesses, the Interstate Renewable
Energy Council (IREC), and the North American Board of
Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) have recently
established successful programs to create a workforce to meet
local demand, however there is currently no Federal program
dedicated to helping establish or improve these training
programs across the Nation. H.R. 2774 creates such a program,
authorizing $10 million in each year from FY 2008 through FY
2012. The bill instructs DOE to ensure sufficient geographic
distribution of training programs nationally. DOE will award
grants to expand programs certified by the Institute of
Sustainable Power or equivalent industry-accepted quality-
control certification institutions, or to establish new
programs with a credible path to certification. At the hearing,
testimony supporting this provision was given by Ms. Jane
Weissman, Executive Director of the Interstate Renewable Energy
Council and Vice-Chair of the North American Board of Certified
Energy Practitioners, as well as from Professor Joseph Sarubbi,
Chair of the Building Systems Technology Department at Hudson
Valley Community College. Ms. Weissman said that ``if market
past performance continues and current projections are
realized, [current] training opportunities fall far short of
expected demand for qualified workers . . . We need more
classroom and hands-on training tailored to meet local labor
needs . . .'' She also noted that ``training needs to be based
on industry standards so that students are taught the right
skills with the right equipment.''
In summary, the research, demonstration, and education
provisions in H.R. 2774 take several steps beyond what was
included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to make solar power a
more viable option in the Nation's energy portfolio.
IV. Hearing Summary
The Energy and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 to hear testimony on a Discussion Draft
of this legislation from the following witnesses:
Mr. Herbert Hayden is the Arizona Public Service
(APS) Solar Technology Coordinator. Mr. Hayden testified on how
thermal storage research and development and the bill's
proposed studies on grid integration and water usage will help
advance the implementation of concentrating solar power.
Mr. Rhone Resch is the President of the Solar
Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Mr. Resch testified on
the status of the solar industry in general, and on how a
proposed research and information program for the industry
would help to support research and promote the adoption of
solar power across the Nation.
Ms. Jane Weissman is the Executive Director of the
Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), and the Vice-Chair
of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
(NABCEP). Ms. Weissman testified on the current status of
workforce training in solar installation and maintenance across
the country, and the need for a national solar workforce
training program.
Prof. Joseph Sarubbi is the Chair of the Building
Systems Technology Department at Hudson Valley Community
College. Prof. Sarubbi testified on his ground-level experience
in creating a solar workforce training program, including his
partnership with local businesses and the State of New York in
developing a successful curriculum.
Dr. David Arvizu is the Director of the Department
of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Arvizu
testified on the DOE's current solar research and development
activities, and on his views regarding the proposed
legislation.
Witnesses at this hearing agreed that thermal storage
technology is critical to the viability of CSP as a significant
energy option. Dr. Arvizu noted that ``the ability of CSP
technologies to store energy presents an opportunity . . . [to]
produce baseload power at about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Such
systems would include 13-17 hrs of thermal storage and would
compete with the cost of power from coal plants using carbon
sequestration technology. It is expected that an aggressive R&D
program could achieve the cost goal by 2020.'' Mr. Hayden
further described the importance of storage technology for CSP.
Along with Dr. Arvizu, Mr. Hayden lent his support to the
CSP grid integration study as well, explaining that:
``Intermittent renewable resources such as wind and solar
present special economic challenges for transmission investment
because they do not efficiently utilize the transmission
investment at all times . . . We believe CSP has a significant
potential to provide large amounts of renewable energy to the
U.S. and that a federal study on transmission for large scale
CSP would be beneficial and appropriate.'' Mr. Hayden and Dr.
Arvizu also agreed that minimizing water usage is an important
factor in reducing cost.
Testimony supporting a workforce training component was
given by Ms. Weissman and Professor Sarubbi. Ms. Weissman said
that ``if market past performance continues and current
projections are realized, [current] training opportunities fall
far short of expected demand for qualified workers . . . We
need more classroom and hands-on training tailored to meet
local labor needs . . .'' She noted that DOE estimates that
5,000 trained installers could be needed by 2015 to meet the
goals of its Solar America Initiative, and to date, we have
only 365 certified solar electric installers and 40 certified
solar thermal installers. She also noted that ``training needs
to be based on industry standards so that students are taught
the right skills with the right equipment.''
Mr. Resch provided testimony on the growth opportunities
for the solar industry as a whole in the United States, as well
as on the need for a solar research and information program,
also known as a ``check-off program'', modeled after several
similar product promotion programs for agricultural products
that are funded by industry and managed in conjunction with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. He explained that such a
program would pool industry resources to increase awareness of
solar energy as an option across the Nation, and ensure that
consumers know what quality control standards to look for in
the purchase and installation of solar energy equipment.
V. Committee Actions
On June 19, 2007, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords introduced H.R.
2774, The Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007.
The Subcommittee on Energy and Environment met to consider
H.R. 2774 on June 21, 2007 and consider the following amendment
to the bill:
1. An amendment offered by Ms. Giffords, to direct the
Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to support the
creation and strengthening of solar industry workforce training
and internship programs across the Nation in installation,
operation, and maintenance of solar energy products. The goal
of this program is to ensure a supply of well-trained
individuals to support the expansion of the solar energy
industry. The amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
Ms. Woolsey moved that the Subcommittee favorably report
the bill, H.R. 2774, to the Full Committee on Science and
Technology. The motion was agreed to by a voice vote.
On Wednesday, June 27, 2007 the full Committee on Science
and Technology met to consider H.R. 2774. The following
amendments were offered to the bill:
1. An amendment offered by Mr. Bartlett that adds a new
section creating a program which supports the commercial
application of direct solar lighting technology during the day
to light buildings, skipping any conversion to electricity and
back to light. Adopted by voice vote.
2. An amendment offered by Mr. Bartlett that adds a new
section creating a research and development program in solar
air conditioning. Adopted by voice vote.
3. An amendment offered by Mr. Inglis which strikes the
section of the bill that establishes a solar workforce training
program. Defeated by recorded vote of 7-17.
4. An amendment offered by Ms. Johnson which amends the
workforce training program section to require that information
about grants awarded under the program be made publicly
available. Adopted by voice vote.
5. An amendment offered by Ms. Johnson which adds the words
``cost-effective'' and ``large-scale'' to the section
requesting a concentrating solar power integration study.
Adopted by voice vote.
6. An amendment offered by Ms. Johnson which ensures that
the workforce development programs give due consideration to
women, underrepresented minorities and persons with
disabilities. Adopted by voice vote.
7. An amendment offered by Mr. Hall which changes the
thermal energy storage program into a general renewable energy
storage research and development program, with the same
authorization levels. Offered and withdrawn.
8. An amendment offered by Mr. Hall for Mr. Smith of Texas
which adds a new section creating a nationwide photovoltaics
demonstration program, with money divided among all States that
submit qualified proposals to the Department of Energy. Adopted
by voice vote.
9. An amendment offered by Mr. Wu which clarifies that
community colleges are eligible for solar workforce training
grants. Adopted by voice vote.
The bill was approved for final passage by voice vote. Ms.
Giffords moved that the Committee favorably report the bill
H.R. 2774, as amended, to the House for consideration. The
motion was agreed to by voice vote.
VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill, As Reported
H.R. 2774 directs the Secretary to establish a research and
development program on thermal energy storage technologies for
concentrating solar power (CSP), authorizing $5 million for
this program in FY 2008, increasing each year and reaching an
authorization level of $12 million in FY 2012. The Secretary is
also tasked with conducting two CSP studies. One study will
determine the necessary steps to integrate CSP plants with the
regional and national electric grid, and the other will examine
ways to reduce water usage in CSP plants. The third component
of the bill establishes a program to create and strengthen
solar industry workforce training and internship programs in
installation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy
products. The program is authorized for $10 million in each
year from FY 2008 through FY 2012. In addition, the bill
creates a research and development program in solar air
conditioning, authorizing $2.5 million in each year from FY
2008 through FY 2012; a program to support the commercial
application of direct solar lighting technology, authorizing
$3.5 million in each year from FY 2008 through FY 2012; and a
nationwide solar demonstration program, authorizing $15 million
in FY 2008, increasing each year and reaching an authorization
level of $70 million in FY 2012.
VII. Section-by-Section Analysis
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
Act may be cited as the ``Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007''.
SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS
Provides definitions for the following terms used in the
Act: `Department' and `Secretary'.
SECTION 3. THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Section 3(a) instructs the Secretary to establish a
research and development program on thermal energy storage
technologies for concentrating solar power. Section 3(b)
authorizes appropriations of $5,000,000 in FY 2008, $7,000,000
in FY 2009, $9,000,000 in FY 2010, $10,000,000 in FY 2011, and
$12,000,000 in FY 2012.
SECTION 4. CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER COMMERCIAL APPLICATION STUDIES
Section 4(a) instructs the Secretary to conduct a study
that will determine the necessary steps to integrate
concentrating solar power plants with the regional and national
electric grid. Results of shall be submitted to Congress no
later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 4(b) instructs the Secretary to conduct a study on
methods to reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating
solar power plants. Results of shall be submitted to Congress
no later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
SECTION 5. SOLAR ENERGY CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION GRANTS
Section 5(a) instructs the Secretary to establish a
competitive grant program to support the creation and
strengthening of solar industry workforce training and
internship programs in installation, operation, and maintenance
of solar energy products. Section 5(b) describes authorized
activities for these grant funds, including support of
curriculum development, certification programs, and internship
programs. Section 5(c) describes the administration of grants,
instructing the Secretary to ensure sufficient geographic
distribution of training programs nationally, and to only award
grants to certified training programs or new and growing
programs with a credible path to certification. Section 5(d)
instructs the Secretary to make information on grants awarded
under this program publicly available. Section 5(e) authorizes
$10 million for this program in each fiscal year from FY 2008
through FY 2012.
SECTION 6. DAYLIGHTING SYSTEMS AND DIRECT SOLAR LIGHT PIPE TECHNOLOGY
Section 6(a) establishes a research and development program
to assist the demonstration and commercial application of
direct solar lighting technology. Section 6(b) instructs the
Secretary to transmit an annual report on the energy savings of
each project funded by this program. Section 6(c) provides
definitions for ``direct solar renewable energy'' and ``light
pipe''. Section 6(d) authorizes $3.5 million for this program
in each fiscal year from FY 2008 through FY 2012.
SECTION 7. SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Section 7(a) establishes a research, development, and
demonstration program in solar-powered air conditioning.
Section 7(b) describes authorized activities for these grant
funds, including advancing solar thermal collectors,
integrating with other electric and thermal systems, enabling
mass manufacturing capability, and improving energy efficiency.
Section 7(c) states that the non-Federal share of funding to
support research and development projects under this program
shall not be less than 20 percent, and for demonstration
projects shall be not less than 50 percent. Section 7(d)
authorizes $2.5 million for this program in each fiscal year
from FY 2008 through FY 2012.
SECTION 8. PHOTOVOLTAIC DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM
Section 8(a) establishes a program of grants to States to
demonstrate advanced photovoltaic technology. Section 8(b)
states that each State submitting qualifying proposals shall
receive funding under this program based on the proportion of
the U.S. population in the State according to the 2000 census.
Section 8(c) instructs the Secretary to allocate 25 percent of
program funds to be awarded on a competitive basis if more the
$25 million is available for this program in any fiscal year.
Section 8(d) instructs the Secretary to solicit initial
proposals within 6 months after the enactment of this Act.
Section 8(e) describes criteria that the Secretary shall use in
competitively awarding funds, including the likelihood a
proposal will encourage demonstration of advanced solar
technologies, the proportion of the non-Federal cost share, and
the State's administrative costs. Section 8(f) describes
criteria that States with funding under this section will use
in awarding competitive grants, including a required 60 percent
minimum non-Federal cost share, a maximum of 10 percent in
State administrative costs, and a requirement that applicant
buildings must have received an independent energy efficiency
audit during the 6-month period preceding the filing of the
application. Section 8(g) returns any funds that a State fails
to expend under this program within 3 years of receipt to the
Treasury. Section 8(h) instructs the Secretary to report the
results of this program to Congress 5 years after funds are
first distributed to the States. Section 8(i) authorizes
appropriations of $15,000,000 in FY 2008, $30,000,000 in FY
2009, $45,000,000 in FY 2010, $60,000,000 in FY 2011, and
$70,000,000 in FY 2012.
VIII. Committee Views
The Committee believes it is essential to diversify the
sources of energy we use to generate electricity. The growth in
demand for energy has led to considerable strain on the current
electrical grid, especially during peak hours of demand.
Establishing alternative and decentralized sources of electric
generating power could alleviate problems associated with grid
reliability, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With
these goals in mind, the Committee notes that the U.S. has the
potential to significantly increase its use of solar energy,
especially in the southwestern region of the country.
While the U.S. has supported solar energy research and
development programs for many years through DOE, the Committee
identified several key areas that are not receiving sufficient
support. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized a research
and development program in concentrating solar power, which DOE
has established, but research in storage technology crucial to
the success of CSP was not authorized, and thus far the
Department has only allocated a small fraction of the funding
necessary for such research in thermal storage to have a
significant impact.
Given the massive potential for CSP to first reduce strain
on the electric grid, and to eventually provide significant
baseload power, the Committee also believes a study on grid
integration is prudent at this time. In addition, the Committee
understands that water is a precious resource in the American
Southwest, and looks forward to the results of a study that
will describe what, if any, additional steps need to be taken
by the federal government or private industry to reduce water
usage in CSP plants.
On expanding the solar industry in general, the Committee
notes that there is currently no significant federal program
dedicated to the establishment of certified solar workforce
training programs across the country. The Committee believes
that such programs are essential to ensuring proper
installation and maintenance of solar energy products, to
expanding the use of solar energy in residences and by
businesses, and to increasing public confidence in the
reliability of solar power. The impending shortage in trained
solar panel installers is also a serious concern. The Committee
expects that federal grants for such training programs will
primarily go to community colleges, which may partner with
local businesses, universities, and governments to ensure that
their solar curricula and certification programs are
appropriate for the local conditions.
The Committee believes it is also essential to encourage
the use of technologies that promote increased energy
efficiency, and therefore supports the demonstration and
commercial application of direct solar renewable energy devices
such as solar light pipes. These pipes convert sunlight into
useable light within buildings, tunnels, and other enclosed
structures, replacing artificial light generated by a light
fixture. The pipes make direct use of sunlight, without the
conversion of the sunlight into another form of energy, which
is a much more efficient method than indirect use of solar
energy (or other energy sources) to create electricity. While
windows are the most obvious ``direct solar lighting'' option
near the exterior of a building, this technology would allow
the use of direct solar light throughout its interior. The
Committee recognizes that DOE has already conducted much of the
basic research and development necessary for light pipe
technology to begin to be applied, though this next step has
not been sufficiently supported yet, and so it encourages any
funding for a dedicated program on this technology to focus
more substantially on demonstration and commercial application.
The Committee notes that the intensity of solar radiation
and the use of air conditioning usually peak at the same time.
The use of solar energy to drive air conditioning systems has
significant potential to reduce peak load electricity demands
and contribute to greater resiliency of the grid. DOE currently
has no significant research, development, and/or demonstration
program to promote this technology, and so the Committee
believes that the creation of such a program is essential to
provide less costly and more reliable solar driven air
conditioning systems for individuals and businesses. The
Committee also notes that the establishment of this program has
the support of the Western Renewables Group, the States' Energy
Council, and several other industry groups.
The Committee also encourages the broader demonstration of
solar energy technologies across the country to increase the
public and private sector's confidence in their reliability,
and to reduce costs. Therefore, it supports the establishment
of a competitive grant program to encourage state governments
and private industry to team up to demonstrate advanced
photovoltaic technologies. While the DOE currently does have
several targeted photovoltaic demonstration programs, including
its Solar America Cities initiative, this new program would go
a step further by encouraging every state in the nation to be
involved in such demonstration projects through significant
financial incentives. Because the grants are competitive, there
is further incentive for states and utilities to pledge more
than the minimum amount required in this program.
Lastly, the Committee continues to express support for
research and development to improve cost-performance of solar
technology, including lower cost solar module nano-
manufacturing technologies. The Committee further finds that
improving cost-performance for solar modules will support the
development of grid parity solar systems.
IX. Cost Estimate
A cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely submitted to
the Committee on Science and Technology prior to the filing of
this report and is included in section X of this report
pursuant to House Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(3).
H.R. 2774 does not contain new budget authority, credit
authority, or changes in revenues or tax expenditures. Assuming
that the sums authorized under the bill are appropriated, H.R.
2774 does authorize additional discretionary spending, as
described in the Congressional Budget Office report on the
bill, which is contained in section X of this report.
X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
H.R. 2774--Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007
Summary: H.R. 2774 would authorize the appropriation of
$347 million over the 2008-2012 period for the Department of
Energy (DOE) to support the research, development, and
utilization of solar energy technology. Of that amount, the
majority of funds would be awarded to states to distribute
grants for the purchase of photovoltaic technologies (solar
cells that convert light energy into electricity).
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 2774 would cost $17 million in
2008 and $276 million over the 2008-2012 period. Enacting H.R.
2774 would not affect direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 2774 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would benefit state and local governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 2774 is shown in the following table.
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 270
(energy).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of
dollars--
---------------------------------------
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Grant and Demonstration
Programs:
Authorization Level......... 28 43 58 73 83
Estimated Outlays........... 12 30 46 61 74
Thermal Energy Storage and Solar
Energy Research and
Development:
Authorization Level......... 9 11 13 14 16
Estimated Outlays........... 4 9 11 13 15
Reporting Requirements:
Estimated Authorization 1 0 0 0 0
Level......................
Estimated Outlays........... 1 0 0 0 0
Total Changes:
Estimated Authorization 38 54 71 86 99
Level......................
Estimated Outlays........... 17 39 57 74 89
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R.
2774 will be enacted near the end of fiscal year 2007 and that
the entire amounts authorized and estimated to be necessary
will be appropriated for each fiscal year. Estimated outlays
are based on historical spending patterns for DOE energy supply
and conservation programs.
H.R. 2774 would authorize the appropriation of $37 million
in 2008 and $347 million over the 2008-2012 period for DOE
solar energy programs. CBO estimates that appropriation of
those amounts, plus an additional $1 million for new reporting
requirements, would result in discretionary outlays of $17
million in fiscal year 2008 and $276 million over the 2008-2012
period.
Grant and demonstration programs
H.R. 2774 would create three DOE grant and demonstration
programs. The bill would specifically authorize the following
appropriations:
Between $17 million and $70 million a year to
states to distribute grants to commercial, governmental, and
residential users of electricity to purchase photovoltaic
technology;
$10 million annually for grants to develop and
strengthen a school curriculum and workforce training programs
concerning the use of solar energy products; and
$3 million annually for a demonstration program
of solar-powered air-conditioning technology.
CBO estimates that appropriation of the authorized amounts
would cost $12 million in 2008 and $223 million over the 2008-
2012 period.
Thermal energy storage and solar energy research and development
H.R. 2774 would authorize the appropriation of $63 million
over the 2008-2012 period for research grants to study thermal
energy and solar power. Specifically, the bill would authorize
the appropriation of between $5 million and $12 million
annually for the development of lower-cost thermal energy
storage technologies. Under the bill, another $4 million a year
would be authorized to be appropriated to promote the
commercial application of solar energy, with a portion of those
funds allocated for an annual report assessing the energy
savings resulting from solar energy use. Assuming appropriation
of the authorized amounts, CBS estimates that implementing
those provisions would cost $4 million in 2008 and $52 million
over the 2008-2012 period.
Reporting requirements
CBO estimates that about $1 million would be necessary in
2008 to prepare two studies required by the bill. The first
study would analyze methods to transmit concentrated solar
power to regional electricity transmission systems. The second
study would address how to reduce the amount of water consumed
by solar power systems.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 2774
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA and would create several research and grant
programs benefiting state and local governments. Any costs
those governments might incur, including matching funds, would
be incurred voluntarily.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Leigh Angers; Impact
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Neil Hood; Impact on
the Private Sector: Craig Cammarata.
Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
XI. Compliance With Public Law 104-4
H.R. 2774 contains no unfunded mandates.
XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
The oversight findings and recommendations of the Committee
on Science and Technology are reflected in the body of this
report.
XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of House Rule XIII, the goal of
H.R. 2774 is to advance solar energy technologies by
establishing research and development programs in thermal
energy storage and solar air conditioning, a program to support
the commercial application of direct solar lighting technology,
a nationwide solar demonstration program, a solar energy
curriculum development and certification program, and by
conducting two concentrating solar power commercial application
studies.
XIV. Constitutional Authority Statement
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact H.R. 2774.
XV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement
H.R. 2774 does not establish nor authorize the
establishment of any advisory committee.
XVI. Congressional Accountability Act
The Committee finds that H.R. 2774 does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).
XVII. Earmark Identification
H.R. 2774 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(t) of rule XXI.
XVIII. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or
tribal law.
XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, As Reported
The bill does not change existing law.
XX. Committee Recommendations
On June 27, 2007, the Committee on Science and Technology
favorably reported H.R. 2774, as amended, by a voice vote and
recommended its enactment.
XXI. Proceedings of the Subcommittee Markup
XXI: PROCEEDINGS OF THE MARKUP BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND
ENVIRONMENT ON H.R. 2774, THE SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH AND ADVANCEMENT ACT
OF 2007
----------
THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2007
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment,
Committee on Science and Technology,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:10 p.m., in
Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Nick
Lampson [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Chairman Lampson. The Subcommittee on Energy and
Environment will come to order. Pursuant to notice, the
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment meets to consider the
following measures: H.R. 1933, the Department of Energy Carbon
Capture and Storage Research, Development and Demonstration Act
of 2007; H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and Advancement
Act of 2007; and H.R. 2773, the Biofuels Research and
Development Enhancement Act.
We will now proceed with the markup beginning with opening
statements, and I will begin.
Energy is not something most Americans have thought about
since the oil embargo of the 1970s. Gas and electricity were
cheap, environmental issues were not a concern and we did not
appreciate our increased vulnerability to unstable foreign
energy supplies. Consequently, energy stayed out of the
legislative spotlight for many years.
The Congress passed significant energy legislation in 2005
in response to rising fuel prices and increased concerns about
energy security. Since then the growing public awareness and
acceptance of climate change compels us to take further actions
on energy. Today this committee is taking yet another step to
increase federal investment in energy technologies that we know
will lessen the environmental impact of our energy use,
decrease our reliance on foreign fuels and still maintain the
quality of life we enjoy today.
First on the agenda is H.R. 1933 by Representative Udall
which sets out the next steps in DOE's carbon mitigation
strategies. In addition to continuing the Department's research
on carbon dioxide management, the bill authorizes large-scale
demonstrations of carbon sequestration technologies through
partnerships with industrial, academic and government entities.
An amendment by Mr. Udall will add demonstrations of carbon
capture technology as well. Because we will continue to use our
abundant resources of coal to meet our energy needs for the
foreseeable future, it is critical that we demonstrate an
integrated system of capture, transportation and storage of
carbon dioxide at a large scale.
Next we will take H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy and
Advancement Act of 2007, introduced by Congresswoman Giffords.
This bill creates a research and development program on energy
storage technology for concentrating solar power plants which
allows for the use of solar energy even when the sun isn't
shining. It also asks the DOE to conduct studies on how best to
integrate concentrating solar plants with the grid and ways to
reduce water usage in these plants. I know the Congresswoman
also plans to introduce an amendment today that creates a solar
workforce program, and this will further improve the bill and I
look forward to hearing what my distinguished colleague has to
say about it soon.
And finally, the Subcommittee will consider my bill, H.R.
2773, the Biofuels Research and Development Enhancement Act.
This bill attempts to better coordinate and compile information
from federal biofuels research programs, focus some of the
biofuels research on infrastructure needs and efficiency of
biorefinery technologies, study some of the continuing
challenges facing broader use of biofuels, and increase the
funding levels for biofuels research.
For each of these bills, the Subcommittee has held hearings
examining the various technical barriers and possible pathways
for these technologies. Many of the amendments that will be
offered today result from the advice and input provided by the
witnesses at these hearings. Today the Subcommittee should
report meaningful legislation that will bring us one step
closer to their consideration on the House Floor in July. I
urge support for all of these bills and I look forward to
working with all of you as we move these bills forward to Full
Committee next week.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Lampson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Chairman Nick Lampson
Energy is not something most Americans have thought about since the
oil embargo in the 1970's. Gas and electricity were cheap,
environmental issues were not a concern, and we did not appreciate our
increased vulnerability to unstable foreign energy supplies.
Consequently ``Energy'' stayed out of the legislative spotlight for
many years.
The Congress passed significant energy legislation in 2005 in
response to rising fuel prices and increased concerns about energy
security. Since then, the growing public awareness and acceptance of
climate change compels us to take further actions on energy. Today this
committee is taking yet another step to increase federal investment in
energy technologies that we know will lessen the environmental impact
of our energy use, decrease our reliance on foreign fuels, and still
maintain the quality of life we enjoy today.
First on the agenda is H.R. 1933 by Rep. Udall, which sets out the
next steps in DOE's carbon mitigation strategies. In addition to
continuing the Department's research on carbon dioxide management, the
bill authorizes large-scale demonstrations of carbon sequestration
technologies through partnerships with industrial, academic and
government entities.
An amendment by Mr. Udall will add demonstrations of carbon capture
technology as well. Because we will continue to use our abundant
resources of coal to meet our energy needs for the foreseeable future,
it is critical that we demonstrate an INTEGRATED system of capture,
transportation, and storage of carbon dioxide at a large scale.
Next we will take up H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007, introduced by Congresswoman Giffords. This
bill creates an R&D program on energy storage technology for
concentrating solar power plants, which allows for the use of solar
energy even when the sun isn't shining.
It also asks the DOE to conduct studies on how to best integrate
concentrating solar plants with the grid, and ways to reduce water
usage in these plants. I know the Congresswoman also plans to introduce
an amendment today that creates a solar workforce program. This will
further improve the bill, and I look forward to hearing what my
distinguished colleague has to say about it soon.
And finally the Subcommittee will consider my bill, H.R. 2773, the
Biofuels Research and Development Enhancement Act. This bill attempts
to better coordinate and compile information from federal biofuels
research programs, focus some of the biofuels research on
infrastructure needs and efficiency of biorefinery technologies, study
some of the continuing challenges facing broader use of biofuels, and
increase the funding levels for biofuels research.
For each of these bills the Subcommittee has held hearings
examining the various technical barriers and possible pathways for
these technologies. Many of the amendments that will be offered today
result from the advice and input provided by the witnesses at these
hearings. Today the Subcommittee should report meaningful legislation
that will bring us one step closer to their consideration on the House
Floor in July. I urge support for all of these bills and I look forward
to working with all of you as we move these bills forward to the Full
Committee next week.
Chairman Lampson. I now recognize Mr. Inglis, the Ranking
Member, to present his opening remarks.
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to
this markup.
The bills we mark up today are reflections of the
commitment we have made to move away from our dependence on
foreign oil and toward solutions that make both economic and
environmental sense.
Renewable energy sources give us the opportunity to end our
dependence on fossil fuels like oil and coal. In the meantime
though, we will use a lot of oil and a lot of coal. That is why
we must work to make sure especially that our coal consumption
is as emission-free and energy efficient as possible, bringing
benefits to both industry and to the environment.
Carbon capture and storage technologies hold significant
promise for reducing carbon emissions. H.R. 1933, the
Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research,
Development and Demonstration Act, will fund demonstration
projects that integrate these technologies. The aim is that the
research and experience gained from these projects will help
bring down the cost of implementing carbon-reducing
technologies in the private sector.
As I mentioned earlier, the ultimate goal is energy sources
that are renewable and emission-free. H.R. 2774, the Solar
Research and Advancement Act, and H.R. 2773, the Biofuels
Research and Development Act, are two steps in that direction.
Biofuels and solar energy should be sources of energy for us,
and I am looking forward to promoting research programs that
will make these alternatives commercially viable.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to
working with you to advance these pieces of legislation.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Inglis follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Bob Inglis
Thank you for holding this markup, Mr. Chairman.
The bills we're marking up today are reflections of the commitment
we have made to move away from our dependence on foreign oil, and
toward solutions that make both economic and environmental sense.
Renewable energy sources give us the opportunity to end our
dependence on fossil fuels like oil and coal. In the meantime we'll use
lots of coal. That's why we must work to make sure that our coal
consumption is as emission-free and energy efficient as possible,
bringing benefits to both industry and the environment.
Carbon capture and storage technologies hold significant promise
for reducing carbon emissions. H.R. 1933, the Department of Energy
Carbon Capture and Storage Research, Development, and Demonstration
Act, will fund demonstration projects that integrate these
technologies. The aim is that the research and experience gained from
these projects will help bring down the cost of implementing carbon-
reducing technologies in the private sector.
As I mentioned earlier, the ultimate goal is energy sources that
are renewable and emission-free. H.R. 2774, the Solar Research and
Advancement Act, and H.R. 2773, the Biofuels Research and Development
Act, are two steps in that direction. Biofuels and solar energy should
be sources of energy for us, and I'm looking forward to promoting
research programs that will make these alternatives commercially
viable.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to working with
you to advance this legislation.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Mr. Inglis.
Without objection, Members may place statements in the
record at this point.
We will now consider H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research
and Advancement Act of 2007, and I yield Ms. Giffords five
minutes to describe this bill.
Ms. Giffords. I want to thank Chairman Lampson and Ranking
Member Inglis for considering H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy
Research and Advancement Act, in Subcommittee this afternoon.
On Tuesday, we had an opportunity to hear from a very
distinguished group of witnesses including the Director of the
National Renewable Energy Lab, NREL, the President of the Solar
Energy Industries Association, SEIA, and the solar technology
coordinator for Arizona Public Service, APS, which is now the
fastest or the second fasting growing electric utility in the
United States over the last five years. Many Members of the
Subcommittee attended the hearing and I believe that we had a
very informative and engaging dialogue on the discussion draft
of this legislation.
The bill before us today contains two main components that
will move research and development forward on concentrating
solar power. The first would establish a Thermal Energy Storage
Research and Development Program within the Department of
Energy. This will help us solve perhaps the most significant
problem with concentrating solar power technology: energy
storage. We need more advanced technologies so that we can
store solar energy when the sun shines and use it at night or
on cloudy days. This is critical for energy reliability and
viability. In giving strong support for this research at the
hearing, Dr. Dan Arvizu from NREL said that the ability for
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies to store energy
presents an opportunity to produce baseload power at about five
cents per kilowatt-hour. Such systems would include 13 to 17
hours of thermal storage and would compete with the cost of
power from coal plants using carbon sequestration technology.
It is expected that an aggressive R&D program could achieve
this cost goal by 2020.
The second component would require the Department of Energy
to conduct two concentrating solar power commercial application
studies. One study would look at methods to integrate
concentrating solar power energy into regional electricity
transmission systems. The best time of the day to produce and
use solar energy is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We need to research
how to connect major solar power plants to the electric grid,
relieve expensive demand on electric utilities and use solar
energy during these peak hours, but we also need to figure how
to bring this abundant resource from the Southwest and sunny
areas to the entire country.
The other part would require DOE to examine methods to
reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating solar
power systems. Given the strains of water resources in the
Southwest, we must study the subject so that we can realize the
full benefits of this technology.
In addition to the initiatives I have just laid out, I will
also offer an amendment today, and as I said on Tuesday, solar
power is not a partisan issue. The sun beats down on Democrats
on Republicans and Independents alike with equal intensity, and
I know that this bill is going to help us really harness the
power of the sun. So I look forward to the Members' support of
this legislation and I will continue to work with all of you as
we move forward in this committee.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you very much. I recognize Mr.
Inglis for any remarks.
Mr. Inglis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no questions
and hope that we can move rapidly.
Chairman Lampson. Does anyone else wish to be recognized?
I ask unanimous consent that the bill is considered as read
and open to amendment at any point and that Members proceed
with the amendments in the order of the roster. Without
objection, so ordered.
The first amendment on the roster is an amendment offered
by the gentlelady from Arizona. Ms. Giffords, are you ready to
proceed with your amendment?
Ms. Giffords. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the
desk.
Chairman Lampson. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 2774 offered by Ms. Giffords
of Arizona.
Chairman Lampson. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
I recognize Ms. Giffords for five minutes to explain the
amendment.
Ms. Giffords. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment will
establish a competitive grant program to create and strengthen
solar industry training and internship programs across the
country. This will ensure that workers obtain the necessary
skills to install, operate and maintain solar energy products.
The need for this program is clear. The solar energy industry
is growing at a very fast pace and we need to ensure that we
have a skilled workforce to sustain this growth. A strong solar
industry will stimulate business development, create new jobs,
help protect our environment and promote energy independence.
This amendment requires DOE to ensure sufficient geographic
distribution of training programs nationally and to ensure
quality control, grants will only be awarded for certified
training programs or new and growing programs with a credible
path toward certification.
At Tuesday's hearing, we heard testimony supporting this
legislation from Ms. Jane Weissman, Executive Director of the
Interstate Renewable Energy Council and Vice Chair of the North
American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners as well as
from Joseph Sarubbi, Professor and Chair of the Building
Systems Technology Department at Hudson Valley Community
College. Ms. Weissman expressed support for this workforce
development training by stating that current training
opportunities fall far short of the demand expected for
qualified workers. We need more classroom and hands-on training
tailored to meet local labor needs. She also noted that
training needs need to be based on industry standards so that
students are taught the right skills with the right equipment.
This amendment will help us achieve two important goals:
one, expanding the market for solar energy products by creating
a trained, reliable workforce that can install and maintain
solar equipment for wider use in commercial and residential
settings; and number two, train people for good-paying jobs
right here at home.
I look forward to Member support for this important
addition to the Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act.
Chairman Lampson. Thank you, Ms. Giffords.
Is there further discussion on the amendment? If no, the
vote occurs on the amendment. All in favor say aye. Those
opposed, say no. The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed
to.
Are there any amendments? Hearing none, and pursuant to
Rule 2T, further proceedings on this matter are postponed until
further notice from the Chair.
There is unfinished business on H.R. 2774. Are there other
amendments to H.R. 2774? Other amendments? Hearing none, the
vote is on the bill, H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007, as amended. All those in favor will
say aye. Those opposed will say no. In the opinion of the
Chair, the ayes have it.
I recognize Ms. Woolsey for a motion.
Ms. Woolsey. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Subcommittee
favorably report H.R. 2774 as amended to the Full Committee.
Furthermore, I move that the staff be instructed to prepare the
Subcommittee legislative report and make necessary technical
and conforming changes to the bill as amended in accordance
with the recommendations of the Subcommittee.
Chairman Lampson. The question is on the motion to report
the bill favorably. Those in favor of the motion will signify
by saying aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it and the bill
is favorably reported.
Without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the
table. Subcommittee Members may submit additional and Minority
views on the measure.
I want to thank the Members for their attendance, and this
concludes our Subcommittee markup. We stand adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:10 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
Appendix:
----------
H.R. 2774, Section-by-Section Analysis, Amendment Roster
Section-by-Section Analysis of H.R. 2774,
the Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007
Bill Summary
The bill directs the Secretary to establish a research and
development program on thermal energy storage technologies for
concentrating solar power (CSP), and conduct two CSP studies. One study
will determine the necessary steps to integrate CSP plants with the
regional and national electric grid, and the other will examine ways to
reduce water usage in CSP plants.
Section 1. Short Title
Act may be cited as the ``Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act
of 2007''.
Section 2. Definitions
Provides definitions for the following terms used in the Act:
`Department' and `Secretary'.
Section 3. Thermal Energy Storage Research and Development Program
Section 3(a) instructs the Secretary to establish a research and
development program on thermal energy storage technologies for
concentrating solar power. Section 3(b) authorizes appropriations of
$5,000,0000 in fiscal year 2008, $7,000,0000 in fiscal year 2009,
$9,000,0000 in fiscal year 2010, $10,500,0000 in fiscal year 2011, and
$12,000,0000 in fiscal year 2012.
Section 4. Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Studies
Section 4(a) instructs the Secretary to conduct a study that will
determine the necessary steps to integrate concentrating solar power
plants with the regional and national electric grid. Results of shall
be submitted to Congress no later than 12 months after the date of
enactment of this Act. Section 4(b) instructs the Secretary to conduct
a study on methods to reduce the amount of water consumed by
concentrating solar power plants. Results of shall be submitted to
Congress no later than six months after the date of enactment of this
Act.
XXII: PROCEEDINGS OF THE FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP ON H.R. 2774, THE SOLAR
ENERGY RESEARCH AND ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2007
----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007
House of Representatives,
Committee on Science and Technology,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:08 a.m., in Room
2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Bart Gordon
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Chairman Gordon. The Committee will come to order.
Pursuant to notice, the Committee on Science and Technology
meets to consider the following measures: H.R. 906, the Global
Change Research and Data Management Act of 2007; H.R. 1933, the
Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research,
Development, and Demonstration Act of 2007; H.R. 2773, the
Biofuels Research and Development Enhancement Act; and H.R.
2774, the Solar Energy Research and Investment Act of 2007.
I know that we have a lot of other markups going on today,
so we are going to try to proceed, but I would like to make a
couple of announcements at first. Now, some of the Members have
been interested in the trip we are going to be taking, the
fact-finding trip we are taking to Greenland the weekend of
July the 19th. We should know today about--we have a plane, but
we still have concern about in-country travel, because we can't
use our plane there, because of the lengths of the runway. We
should know more about that today, so we will know the size and
the number of folks that we can take.
Also, you have received a letter through your office, but I
will remind you, in case you didn't know, that there is going
to be a climate change meeting of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change, the parent body that oversees the Kyoto
Protocol. It will be held in Bali from December the 3rd to the
14th. There will be important areas of discussion. It will
include carbon sequestration, reforestation, avoiding
deforestation, and carbon trading. There will be about 10,000
international delegates there. We will not, or as Members, we
will not be a credentialed participant, but we will be able to
interact with those folks that are there. We will not be taking
a Science Committee group as a whole, but we do have some
slots, I think, that will be made available to us, for
individuals that would like to go. But again, when you put
10,000 people there, it is going to be crowded, and so, you
need to let us know soon.
And finally, I think that we should all say happy birthday
to Margaret today. We congratulate her on surviving one more,
and hope there will be more to come.
Mr. Lampson. And happy anniversary to you and your wife,
Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you for reminding me. By the way,
from 7:00 to 9:00 will be a good time to call votes, because I
am not going to be here tonight.
With concern about global climate change, the high gas and
electricity prices, and our growing reliance on unstable energy
supplying nations, energy has come to the forefront of our
constituents' awareness, and has been placed at the top of the
Congressional to-do list. Here, on the Science and Technology
Committee, we have responded with an aggressive energy agenda.
With the addition of four bills, that we are going to mark up
today, this committee will contribute an even dozen pieces of
bipartisan legislation that made a vital contribution to the
national strategy to put U.S. and the world on track to a more
sustainable future.
First, we will consider H.R. 906. Mr. Udall and Mr. Inglis,
the Ranking Member of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee
and co-sponsor of the bill, have worked together to produce
this legislation. H.R. 906 re-orients the U.S. Global Change
Research Program to produce more policy relevant climate
information for regional, State, and local governments, and
other groups.
We will then take up H.R. 1933, by Representative Udall,
which sets out the next steps in DOE's carbon mitigation
strategies. In addition to ongoing research in carbon
management, the bill authorizes DOE to conduct demonstrations
on large scale Carbon Capture and Storage technologies, through
partnerships with industrial, academic, and government
entities. Because we will continue to use our abundant
resources of coal to meet our energy needs for the foreseeable
future, it is critical that we demonstrate an integrated system
of capture, transportation, and storage of carbon dioxide, at a
scale that encourages industry to start making technological
choices.
Next, the Committee will take up a bill by the Chairman of
the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, Representative Nick
Lampson. H.R. 2773, the Biofuels Research and Development
Enhancement Act, will better coordinate and compile information
from federal biofuels research programs, and focus biofuels
research on infrastructure needs and efficiency of biorefinery
technologies. H.R. 2773 also provides for the in depth study of
several challenges facing broader of biofuels, and increases
the funding levels of biofuels research.
Finally, we will consider H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy
Research and Advancement Act of 2007, introduced by
Congresswoman Giffords. This bill creates an R&D program on
energy storage technology for concentrating solar plants, which
allows for the use of solar energy, even when the sun isn't
shining. It also asks DOE to conduct studies on how to best
integrate concentrating solar plants within the grid, and ways
to reduce water uses in these plants. In addition, it creates a
workforce training program for solar installation and
maintenance, which is critical to making solar power a real
energy option across the Nation.
For each of these bills, the Energy and Environment
Subcommittee held legislative hearings, had markups, where we
heard valuable witness testimony, and facilitated good Member
discussions on the barriers and possible pathways to these
programs. And as you know, we are not alone in this effort. The
Energy and Commerce Committee is marking up a series of bills
today, at this very moment, and my friend, Congressman Hall, as
well as a few of the folks in the Majority, are on both
committees, so we are monitoring that, and if you see a dust
cloud here at some point, we will be moving to the other
committee to make those votes, but I am sure we will be left in
good hands here, and we will continue with this markup.
In conclusion, I want to urge my colleagues to support
these bills. I know that the Committee's pace has been very
aggressive, and it has been difficult at times for all of us.
However, I believe the products that have resulted from this
process demonstrate the value of this committee, and its
bipartisan work reflects the entire membership.
The bottom line is that we are going to have an energy bill
in July. The Science Committee is going to, in a bipartisan
way, make a major, major contribution with that. There are
going to be several other committees that will have bills. We
are going to get a reference from most of those, sequential,
which we will also put our mark on. Every bill that has come
out of this committee has been bipartisan, all but one. We will
see what happens today, but so far, all but one has been
unanimous, and so, I think everyone on this committee can go
home, and claim a great deal of credit for what I think will be
not an enormously comprehensive, but a good bill, a step
forward, that will pass by a large margin on the House Floor in
July.
So now, I recognize Mr. Hall to present his opening
remarks.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Gordon follows:]
Prepared Statement of Chairman Bart Gordon
With concerns about global climate change, high gas and electricity
prices, and our growing reliance on unstable energy-supplying nations,
energy has come to the forefront of our constituents' awareness and has
been placed at the top of the Congressional ``To-Do'' list.
Here on the Science and Technology Committee we have responded with
an aggressive energy agenda.
With the addition of the four bills we are marking up today, this
committee will contribute an even dozen pieces of legislation that make
a vital contribution to the national strategy to put the U.S., and the
world, on track to a more sustainable future.
First we will consider H.R. 906. Mr. Udall and Mr. Inglis, the
Ranking Member of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee and co-
sponsor of the bill, have worked together to produce this legislation.
H.R. 906 re-orients the U.S. Global Change Research Program to
produce more policy-relevant climate information for regional, State,
and local governments and other user groups.
We will then take up H.R. 1933 by Rep. Udall, which sets out the
next steps in DOE's carbon mitigation strategies. In addition to
ongoing research in carbon management, the bill authorizes DOE to
conduct demonstrations of large-scale carbon capture and storage
technologies through partnerships with industrial, academic and
government entities.
Because we will continue to use our abundant resources of coal to
meet our energy needs for the foreseeable future, it is critical that
we demonstrate an integrated system of capture, transportation, and
storage of carbon dioxide at a scale that encourages industry to start
making technology choices.
Next, the Committee will take up a bill by the Chairman of the
Energy & Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Nick Lampson. H.R. 2773, the
Biofuels Research and Development Enhancement Act, will better
coordinate and compile information from federal biofuels research
programs and focus biofuels research on infrastructure needs and
efficiency of biorefinery technologies.
H.R. 2773 also provides for the in-depth study of several
challenges facing broader use of biofuels and increases the funding
levels for biofuels research.
Finally, we will consider H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007, introduced by Congresswoman Giffords. This
bill creates an R&D program on energy storage technology for
concentrating solar power plants, which allows for the use of solar
energy even when the sun isn't shining.
It also asks DOE to conduct studies on how to best integrate
concentrating solar plants with the grid, and ways to reduce water
usage in these plants. In addition, it creates a workforce training
program for solar installation and maintenance, which is critical to
making solar power a real energy option across the country.
For each of these bills the Energy and Environment Subcommittee
held legislative hearings and markups where we heard valuable witness
testimony and facilitated good Member discussions on the barriers and
possible pathways for these programs.
And, as you all may know, we are not alone in this effort today.
The Energy and Commerce Committee is also marking up a series of energy
bills and I, along with Ranking Member Hall and a few others, may have
to excuse myself for votes in that committee.
In conclusion, I urge my colleagues to support these four bills. I
know the Committee's pace has been very aggressive and that has been
difficult at times for all of us. However, I believe the products that
have resulted from this process demonstrate the value of this committee
and its work and it reflects well on the entire membership.
I want to thank all the Members for their cooperation and
participation.
Mr. Hall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I will try not to
take the full length of time, and make one statement. I will be
glad, as I am sure you will and others, when this month passes.
I understand that you and your fellow Chairman and other
Members have been working, I guess, under the usual pressure of
this first year, to get and report bills out of the Committee,
and sometimes, I fear that when we rush things through, we
don't get the best end product we could have, if we had more
time to fully vet the language, but I guess we will be working
that as we go.
You have done a good job of working with us, and I thank
you for that. While I think improvements in the bill before us
today are going to occur through amendments to be offered, I
think they could be improved further, and I hope we will have
other opportunities to do this, as the bill moves to the Floor.
It is also my hope and understanding that, going forward, there
will be more of an effort to have both sides working together,
as we craft legislation to come before this committee. We will
have more time. I think this would improve not only the quality
of work we produce, but also, the bipartisan way in which they
are handled.
With that said, I support and believe it is important to
our country's energy future to keep all options on the table,
and we strive to do that with the three energy bills before us.
One of our greatest challenges as a Nation is energy self-
sufficiency. We need to break our dependence on foreign sources
of energy from countries we don't trust and who don't trust us.
To do that, we need to be honest and practical about what needs
to be done to get to that point.
Solar and biofuels are an important source of domestic
energy, but they are also limited in their scope. It is
important that we continue to research and develop the
resources we know exist domestically, and currently provide
reliable, affordable, and clean sources of energy. I look
forward to working with the Committee and working with you, Mr.
Chairman, in the months ahead, to address this reality, so that
Americans can enjoy more energy choices at a lower cost.
I yield back.
[The statement of Mr. Hall follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Ralph M. Hall
Thank you Mr. Chairman. In the interest of time, I will keep my
statement brief and say that I will be glad when this month is over. I
understand that you and your fellow Chairmen have been working under
pressure from the Speaker to report bills out of committee, but I fear
that sometimes when things are rushed through, we don't get the best
end-products we could have if we had more time to fully vet the
language. While I think there are improvements in the bills before us
today with the Subcommittee markup last week and the amendments to be
offered today, I think that they could still be improved upon, and I
hope that we'll have other opportunities to do so. It is also my hope
and understanding that going forward, there will be more of an effort
to have both sides working together as we craft legislation to come
before the Committee. I think this would improve not only the quality
of work we produce, but also the bipartisan way in which they are
handled.
With that said, I support what we're doing here today. It's
important to our country's energy future to keep all options on table,
and we continue to do that with the three energy bills before us.
With that I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, or rather, thank
you, Mr. Hall.
Let me also say that you may not know, but I met privately
and personally with the Republican, both the staff from the
Members, as well as the Committee staff the other day, to talk
about how we can, you know, do what I think is a good job even
better. There were compliments in some areas of the
consultation. There were suggestions for improvement in the
others. I have asked for them to put together models of how
they see things done, and good ways that we have done it, and
if we haven't done it as well as we would like, so those kind
of models, we are going to continue to work together.
I am a new Chairman, there is a lot of new staff, and we
are going to get this thing better and better, as we go along,
because I truly believe that more consultation gets us a
bipartisan bill, a consensus bill, and we are all going to be
better off.
So, does anyone else wish to be recognized?
We now consider H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007. I yield to the gentlelady from Arizona
five minutes to describe the bill.
Ms. Giffords. Well, first of all, I want to thank Chairman
Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for considering H.R. 2774, the
Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act, in the Full
Committee this morning. I also want to thank my fantastic
staff, the staff of the Science Committee, for all of your help
in making this possible.
Mr. Chairman, today is a bright day indeed, no pun
intended. Last week, we had the opportunity to hear from a very
distinguished panel of witnesses, including the Director of the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, the President of
the Solar Energy Industries Association, SEIA, and the Solar
Technology Coordinator for Arizona Public Service, which is the
second fastest growing electric utility in the United States
over the last five years. Many Members of the Energy and
Environment Subcommittee attended the hearing, and I think we
had an incredibly interesting and informing dialogue on the
discussion draft for this legislation.
The bill before us today contains three major components,
two of which will move research and development forward on
Concentrating Solar Power, CSP. The first would establish a
Thermal Energy Storage Research and Development Program within
the Department of Energy. This will help us, Mr. Chairman,
solve perhaps the most significant problem with Concentrating
Solar Power, which is the energy storage issue. We need more
advanced technology, so that we can store solar energy when the
sun rises, and use it at night, or on cloudy days. This is
critical for energy reliability and viability.
The second component, Mr. Chairman, would require the
Department of Energy to conduct two Concentrating Solar Power
Commercial Application Studies, the first of which would study
methods to integrate concentrating solar power energy into
regional electricity transmission systems. We need to research
how to connect major solar power plants to the electric grid,
relieve expensive demand on electric utilities, and use solar
energy during these peak hours. We also need to figure out how
to bring this abundant resource from the Southwest and other
very warm, sunny areas, to the entire country.
The second report would require the Department of Energy to
examine methods to reduce the amount of water consumed by
concentrating solar power systems. Given the strain on water
resources, the drought, for example, in the Southwest, we must
study this subject, so that we can fully realize the benefits
and the possibilities of CSP technology.
The bill's third component establishes a competitive grant
program to create and to strengthen solar industry training and
internship programs across the country. This will ensure that
workers obtain the necessary skills to install, operate, and
maintain solar energy products.
The need for this program is clear.
The solar industry is growing at a very fast clip, and we
need to make sure that we have the skilled workforce in order
to sustain this growth.
A strong solar industry will stimulate business
development, create new jobs, help protect the environment, and
promote the energy independence which we all understand to be
so important.
In addition to what I have introduced here, Mr. Chairman, I
look forward to supporting several very good bipartisan
amendments that will make this bill a much better bill.
As I said last week, solar energy is a nonpartisan issue,
and I know that we can all benefit from harnessing the power
from the sun.
I look forward to the Members' support for H.R. 2774, and I
will continue to work with all of you as we move to the Floor,
hopefully next week.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Giffords follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Gabrielle Giffords
I want to thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for
considering H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act,
in the Full Committee this morning.
Last week, we had the opportunity to hear from a very distinguished
panel of witnesses, including the Director of the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL), the President of the Solar Energy Industries
Association (SEIA), and the Solar Technology Coordinator for Arizona
Public Service (APS), which is the second fastest growing electric
utility in the U.S. over the last five years.
Many Members of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee attended
the hearing, and we had a very informative and engaging dialogue on the
discussion draft for this legislation.
The bill before us today contains three main components, two of
which will move research and development forward on concentrating solar
power (CSP).
The first would establish a ``Thermal Energy Storage Research and
Development Program'' within the Department of Energy. This will help
us solve perhaps the most significant problem with concentrating solar
power technology: energy storage. We need more advanced technology so
that we can store solar energy when the sun shines and use it at night
or on a cloudy day. This is all critical for energy reliability and
viability.
The second component would require DOE to conduct two
``Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Studies.'' One would
study methods to integrate concentrating solar power energy into
regional electricity transmission systems. We need to research how to
connect major solar power plants to the electric grid, relieve
expensive demand on electric utilities, and use solar energy during
these peak hours. We also need to figure out how to bring this abundant
resource from the Southwest to the entire country.
The other report would require DOE to examine methods to reduce the
amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems. Given
the strain on water resources in the Southwest, we must study this
subject so we can realize the full benefits of CSP technology.
The bill's third component establishes a competitive grant program
to create and strengthen solar industry training and internship
programs across the country. This will ensure that workers obtain the
necessary skills to install, operate, and maintain solar energy
products.
The need for this program is clear.
The solar energy industry is growing at a very fast pace, and we
need to ensure that we have a skilled workforce to sustain this growth.
A strong solar industry will stimulate business development, create
new jobs, help protect our environment, and promote energy
independence.
In addition to what I've introduced here, I also look forward to
supporting several amendments from both sides of the aisle that make a
good bill better.
As I said last week, solar energy is a non-partisan issue, and I
know that we can all benefit from harnessing the power of the sun.
I look forward to Members' support for H.R. 2774, and I will
continue to work with you as we move to the House Floor next month.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Ms. Giffords, for this really
very good bill.
Mr. Hall is recognized.
Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 2774 will provide research and
development on yet another important renewable energy source,
solar energy.
I fully support research and development on solar power,
considering that less than two percent of our energy
consumption comes from this renewable source, and it is a
reliable source for most Americans. I am happy to hear that the
Majority plans to accept a number of amendments that are going
to be offered by my Minority colleagues here today.
I think these amendments are going to serve to make your
bill a better bill, and I hope it does. I believe the
amendments offered by Representative Bartlett, promoting
commercial application of solar lighting technology and solar
air conditioning technology, is going to do a lot to advance
the use of solar power for everyday use. And Mr. Smith's
amendment, to establish a competitive grant program, will
encourage state governments and private industry to team up to
demonstrate advanced technology, and I fully support these
amendments.
I support the amendment which will be offered by
Representative Inglis also, which would strike Section 5 of the
bill. I am concerned that that section of the bill, because I
don't think it makes sense for the Department of Energy to
provide grants to buy equipment or pay private companies to
train workers. I understand the need for training, but I don't
think that is the best way to achieve that goal.
And I thank the Chairman for bringing up this legislation
today, and I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you.
Chairman Gordon. Does anyone else wish to be recognized?
Mr. Ehlers is recognized.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Again, I think--first of all, I would like to point out,
the greatest opportunity is in solar energy. There is no more
stable overall source than solar energy. It doesn't vary much
from day to day or year to year, disregarding the cloud effect.
The supply is ample. And there is an incredible amount of
solar energy landing on the Earth every day. It is just almost
incomprehensible. It is so much larger than our energy use, it
is hard to believe. The difficulty, of course, is that in
scientific or engineering terms, solar energy is low quality
energy. That means, first of all, that it is very diffuse. It
is spread over the entire Earth. It is not concentrated. And
secondly, the thermodynamic efficiency of using it is very low,
because the temperature of solar energy, as it hits the Earth,
is low, compared to, for example, burning fossil fuels.
So, there are lots and lots of opportunities, but a great
deal of research to be done yet, and I commend this bill,
because it deals with one aspect of the research. But frankly,
I don't think that centralized collection facilities are likely
to be the answer to the future.
I think, for example, I am hoping that within ten years,
solar shingles will be in the same price range as the current
asphalt shingles. So, then, we can begin putting solar shingles
on houses. That is an ideal use, because that is a diffuse use,
it is widespread, and the energy is right, it will be received
right at the source where you need it. Again, it is not going
to be high quality, but it may well supplant existing methods
of heating hot water. It may supplant heating and cooling in
the house. Perhaps even electric stoves could be run off the
system.
Again, the problem is going to be storage of energy, just
as this bill tries to address, but with the improved efficiency
of batteries that are being developed for hybrid automobiles,
considerably better than we have had before, the storage may
become less of a problem. So, I am not saying this to in any
way negate the bill before us, but I just want to point out
this bill covers just one aspect of the issues that we face.
One other comment, in connection with Mr. Inglis'
amendment, to do away with the education. Today, precisely at
this time, the Energy and Workforce Committee, I am sorry, it
is Education and Labor now, the Education and Labor Committee
is considering a bill to provide training for what are called
green jobs in the bill. It is going to be comprehensive. It
could easily include this, and it is a well structured bill.
It is sponsored by the Minority, but we are working on it
together, and it may well be that the training program in this
bill, that Mr. Inglis seeks to strike, could more appropriately
be put in that bill. It looks at training for green jobs in
every area of life, and every area of operation, including
energy. So, I commend the Committee too, and request that they
look at that bill, as perhaps a good place to put the training
program that is in this bill, because it will be incorporated
into all the job training programs that are already under the
jurisdiction of the Education and Labor Committee, and operated
out of the Labor Department. That is just a suggestion, but I
am sure that the Education and Labor Committee would be pleased
to incorporate that.
But my main point is solar is the energy of the future. It
is an inexhaustible supply. So far as we know, the sun is not
likely to go out for roughly a billion years, and by then, I
don't think we will be worrying about energy supply problems. I
think we will have other things to worry about.
So, I just wanted to add those comments to the record, and
I yield back.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Ehlers. Wouldn't it be
great if we also had the equivalent of shingles that could go
on automobiles, on the surface of automobiles, for that type
of, also, energy use?
Mr. Ehlers. If I may respond, the difficulty with
transportation, that needs high amounts of energy for brief
periods of time, and solar is low amounts of energy over long
periods of time.
Chairman Gordon. With storage also.
Mr. Ehlers. Pardon?
Chairman Gordon. But if you can deal with the storage
problem.
Mr. Ehlers. That is the issue.
Chairman Gordon. Yeah. With the lithium batteries.
Mr. Ehlers. Exactly. Yeah. It is a good idea, but it needs
work. Thank you.
Chairman Gordon. Does anyone else wish to make a comment?
Mr. Rohrabacher.
Mr. Rohrabacher. Let me just note that we, I think we have
reached a turning point, where solar energy now does have an
enormous potential, not just in the future, but for tomorrow,
if we do what is right. Over the years, I have heard a lot of
claims from people. In fact, I remember even back in college,
hearing claims, when I was a young reporter, 30 years ago,
claims that were just not substantiated about what solar energy
was potentially then.
However, my reading of it, and studying of the energy
issues is that solar energy does offer us, right now, because
of the progress we have made, a tremendous asset, if we just
invest in it. So, I am very happy to support this legislation.
Chairman Gordon. I agree, and Ms. Giffords is getting us on
that road.
Does anyone else wish to make a comment? If not, I ask
unanimous consent the bill is considered as read, and open to
amendment at any point, and that the Members proceed with
amendments in the order of the roster. Without objection, so
ordered.
The first amendment on the roster is offered by the
gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Bartlett. Are you ready to proceed
with your amendment?
Mr. Bartlett. I am, Mr. Chairman. I have two amendments at
the desk, that are related in that they both use sunlight
directly, real time. I ask unanimous consent to consider them
en masse.
Chairman Gordon. Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Bartlett. Thank you very much.
Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendments.
The Clerk. Amendments to H.R. 2774, offered by Mr. Bartlett
of Maryland, amendment #006 and #047.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain his
amendments.
Mr. Bartlett. Thank you. I started studying energy 40 years
ago. I have built approximately 50 passive solar powered homes,
and designed and built my own solar powered home, that is
totally off the grid.
We have been working at a furious pace in this committee to
advance a series of bipartisan energy bills. I greatly
appreciate the cooperation and collaboration of the gentlewoman
from Arizona, Ms. Giffords, and Chairman Lampson, and Chairman
Gordon, and their staff. I want to especially thank Adam
Rosenberg. They have all worked very hard, and could not have
been more receptive to my suggestions to make sure that this
very good solar research bill became a better and more
comprehensive bill.
Mr. Chairman, I have prepared remarks on these two
amendments. I would like unanimous consent to submit them for
the record.
Chairman Gordon. Without objection.
Mr. Bartlett. Thank you, sir.
In the interest of time, I think that the little
description in the amendment roster describes what they do. We,
with bright sunshine outside, we now have lights turned on this
room. There are technologies which could have directed sunlight
here, and my first amendment directs a research program in this
vein, so that we can light as much of our buildings as possible
with direct sunlight.
The second one is a very interesting one. It uses solar
energy for air conditioning. Most of the time you need air
conditioning, is when the sun is shining. There are some very
interesting technologies out there, the ammonia cycle
refrigeration is one of them, where we can actually cool with
the sun, and my second amendment does that, and I thank you
very much for the opportunity of working with you in submitting
these amendments.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bartlett follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Roscoe Bartlett
I started studying energy 40 years ago, built around 50 passive
solar-powered homes and designed and built my own solar-powered home
that is off the grid. We have been working at a furious pace in this
committee to advance a series of bipartisan energy bills. I greatly
appreciate the cooperation and collaboration from the gentlewoman from
Arizona Ms. Giffords, and Chairman Lampson and Chairman Gordon and
their staffs. I want to especially thank Adam Rosenberg. They all
worked very hard and could not have been more receptive to my
suggestions to make sure that this very good solar research bill became
a better and more comprehensive bill. In consideration of time, I
request that the balance of my statement be entered into the record. I
also request that these two amendments be considered en bloc.
Daylighting Systems and Direct Solar Pipe Technology
I appreciate Chairman Gordon's leadership and his strong commitment
and encouragement to our colleagues who serve on other committees to
bring good ideas to our attention. We have all had many recent
experiences of long term loss of electric power due to intense weather
patterns, mechanical or human error causing grid failure, and
terrorism. Greater utilization of a wider array of distributed
generation and lighting technologies will make our homes and businesses
and communities more self-sufficient.
I am grateful to my colleague, Tom Petri, for alerting me to the
opportunity to advance this goal by advancing research on daylighting
systems and direct solar pipe technology. One of my favorite sayings
often invoked by President Ronald Reagan is that there's no limit to
how much good that you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the
credit.
This amendment would create a program to promote the demonstration
and commercial application of direct solar renewable energy devices
such as solar light pipes to help develop a diverse array of
distributed generation and lighting technologies needed to maintain the
reliability of the Nation's power infrastructure. In order to assess
the energy savings realized by the use of these direct solar renewable
energy devices, the amendment also directs the Secretary of Energy to
submit an annual report to Congress of the energy savings data derived
from projects covered in this program.
The amendment is designed to support the immediate demonstration
and commercial application of proven solar light pipe technology in
public and private sector buildings, tunnels and other enclosures. It
is aimed to support efforts beyond the current research and development
efforts in solar energy technologies being done at research facilities
under the auspices of the Federal Government and/or the same which is
funded by the Federal Government at private or educational research
facilities.
U.S. industry has just begun to commercialize a number of devices
such as solar light tubes using solar concentrators, reflectors and
lenses, light fibers, and other technologies to direct natural light
into buildings, tunnels and other enclosures to augment or replace
light from traditional fixtures. For instance, solar light pipes make
direct use of sunlight, without the conversion of the sunlight into
another form of energy, which is a much more efficient method than
indirect use to create electricity. Integrated lighting systems such as
solar light pipes provide optimum light levels while reducing or
eliminating electricity consumption during daylight hours.
Additionally, solar light pipes in these integrated light systems have
the capability to measure the resulting savings in kilowatt-hours over
traditional sources.
There is authorized to be appropriated $3.5 million for each of
Fiscal Years 2008 through 2012 to carry out the activities of this
section.
I urge the adoption of this amendment. Thank you.
Solar Powered AC
This amendment adds a section to establish a research, development
and demonstration program to promote less costly and more reliable
decentralized and distributed solar-powered air conditioning for
individuals and businesses. This amendment is designed to produce
renewable energy powered decentralized and distributed electricity,
reduce peak load electricity demands and contribute to greater
resilience of the grid.
This amendment is supported by the:
Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, because it will enhance the ongoing Building
America Program
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Solar Energy Industry Association, SEIA
Western Renewables Group
Austin Energy
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
San Diego Gas & Electric
Peak electricity demand across the U.S.--most glaringly in the
Western U.S.--is driven by the spread of central air conditioners
powered from the grid. Clipping this fast-rising peak by taking air
conditioners OFF the grid, and powering them via solar thermal
collectors, will contribute far more to grid stability during times of
excess demand (typically hot summer days), reduce wholesale electricity
prices and ease tensions being created across the country to build ever
more transmission and distribution capacity. Combining solar thermal
collectors with solar powered absorption chillers and thermal storage
hold great promise. Improving dessicant dehumidification and developing
cost-effective pre-cooling approaches is particularly important across
the Southeastern U.S.
Solar-powered decentralized distributed air conditioning instead of
the conventional centralized air conditioning would benefit every
consumer class: individuals and businesses and industry (large and
small customers) with less costly and more reliable peak air
conditioning increasing regional grid security and reliability.
Grants made available under this amendment may be used to support
the following activities:
(1) to advance solar thermal collectors, including but not
limited to, concentrating solar thermal and electric systems,
flat plate and evacuated tube collector performance;
(2) to achieve technical and economic integration of solar-
powered distributed air-conditioning systems with existing hot
water and storage systems for residential applications;
(3) to design and demonstrate mass manufacturing capability to
reduce costs of modular standardized solar-powered distributed
air conditioning systems and components;
(4) to improve the efficiency of solar-powered distributed
air-conditioning to increase the effectiveness of solar-powered
absorption chillers, solar-driven compressors and condensors,
and cost-effective pre-cooling approaches
(5) to research and compare performance of solar-powered
distributed air conditioning systems in different regions of
the country including potential integration with other on-site
systems, such as solar, biogas, geothermal heat pumps, and
propane assist or combined propane fuel cells, with a goal to
develop site-specific energy production/management systems that
ease fuel and peak utility loading.
There is authorized to be appropriated $2.5 million for each of
Fiscal Years 2008 through 2012 to carry out the activities of this
section. Industry will provide a cost-shared contribution of 20 percent
for research and development and 50 percent for demonstration and
deployment projects.
I urge my colleagues to approve this amendment.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Bartlett. I know this may
sound weird to you, but I think this is fun, to bring these new
ideas, and I mean, I am really enjoying making these bills
better, and again, I thank everyone for bringing their unique
thoughts to this, and you know, their past experiences.
Does anyone else wish to discuss this amendment? If not,
then the vote occurs on the amendment, or the amendments. All
in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The amendments are agreed
to.
And now, let me see, we turn to Mr. Inglis. The third
amendment on the roster is offered by the gentleman from South
Carolina.
Mr. Inglis. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the
desk.
Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 2774, offered by Mr. Inglis of
South Carolina.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain his
amendment.
Mr. Inglis. And I thank the Chairman.
You know, sometimes, you move to amend a bill, and you
really don't feel too bad about it, because the author is
somebody that you wouldn't mind correcting. That is not the
case here. The author here is so pleasant to deal with, it is
very hard to offer an amendment that takes one of the pieces
out of the bill. But here goes. I will do it nicely, Gabrielle.
Anyhow, my concern generally about grants is that what we
do is we collect up tax money in the states, we bring it here
to Washington, we set up grant readers and grant writers and
regulations and regulators, and then, we take the money back to
the districts, and what started out as a bucketful of water
ends up being a thimbleful when it gets back, because the
people got to eat, if they are grant writers and readers and
regulators, and so, I am generally disinclined toward grant
programs that do that. I am very disinclined if they are small,
because then what you end up with is eating a lot of the money
in administration.
And as has already been said, this concept is being
considered in Education and Labor, so my concern here is we are
not doing rocket science. We really are doing very applied work
here, which is good, it is very important to do applied work.
But the question is should we use the scarce science dollars
available to us to help community colleges figure out how to
install solar systems, or to set up curricula to help people to
install solar systems.
And that, I doubt, is the role of the Federal Government,
and I doubt it going to be very effective, because, you know,
if you are in a sunny state, you are happy to take advantage of
this program. If you are in Washington State, let us say, your
community college isn't going to get any of this money. And so,
it sets up an equity question as well.
So, my suggestion is that we take this part of the bill
out, and stick with the things like Dr. Bartlett was just
mentioning, that are so exciting, where you really are doing
rocket science, well, maybe not exactly rocket science, but you
are doing some science that is more basic research, that the
Federal Government has a clear role in, whereas this, my
community colleges would love to have this grant, but the
question is whether that is the role of the Federal Government
to set that up, or whether it is the role of an enterprising
community college in an area that has a felt need for this, and
perhaps, industries that will immediately latch onto and take
it and run with it.
I think that probably in sunny states, that is the case.
There will be industries there that get with their community
colleges, and say come on, we can do it. Set up a curriculum to
teach these people how to do it. We are going to go out and put
up these solar systems, and in those cases, it will work,
without the thimbleful of money being brought, or thimbleful of
water being brought from Washington and dropped on the scene.
They will have a bucketful of money in the local community, and
they will get it done. And then, the rest of us will learn from
it, and some people will make some money out of it, and I like
that. Profit is a very good thing, and the market will drive
this, and it is a very applied kind of thing that we are
talking about here.
So, my amendment simply strikes out that very applied kind
of work, but I congratulate the author of the bill on coming up
with something that will do some other things that are aimed at
the basic science, which is more the role of the Federal
Government.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. The amender is also a nice person, and
presented his amendment in a very courteous way. I think Ms.
Woolsey wanted to be recognized.
Ms. Woolsey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am so disappointed.
I thought the gentleman from South Carolina was going to raise
the amount of money in the legislation, because he didn't think
it was enough.
But one of our goals, as a nation, when we talk about
energy, and energy conservation, and green technologies, is to
know that that is the industry of the future, whatever
direction we go in. That means jobs. That means we have to have
the training for those jobs. We need training for installing.
We need to learn how to work safely with these products. We
know that we wouldn't ever take our car to a mechanic that we
didn't think was trained and ready to take care of our
automobile.
So, I just think that your idea that there is not enough
money in there, Mr. Inglis, is absolutely right. But we need to
start somewhere, and it will prove itself out. I mean, the
gentlelady's legislation is going to prove over time that we do
need more money in there, for just the purposes that she is
trying to advance, and to actually come up with the right kind
of training for these folks.
So, there we are, that is where I am. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you. Is there further discussion on
the amendment? The author of the bill, Ms. Giffords, is
recognized.
Ms. Giffords. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank
the gentleman from South Carolina as well, because I know we
had a discussion, I think last week, about your concerns.
What I heard from our hearing last week was that installing
and maintaining solar equipment requires really specific,
unique training, that is not typically included in community
college courses. I also saw a map that compares the United
States to Germany, and whether South Carolina or even, for
example, in the Hudson Valley, where Mr. Sarubbi, Professor
Sarubbi came from. There is abundant sun across the entire
United States, so I understand your concern, but I don't
necessarily think that it is applicable.
We know that the installers must learn how to work safely
with these photovoltaic systems, to conduct site assessments,
work with high voltage wiring, and perform these complicated
installations on residential and commercial rooftops. The
design of solar systems on either new homes or existing homes--
Mr. Udall, as he talked about having to cut down the tree in
order to put in his solar system--is pretty complicated.
Large scale commercial solar systems require a high level
of expertise at the design side of the business prior to
installation, and the solar industry currently does not have
the educational infrastructure to develop these skills. As the
number of installations grow exponentially, not just in
Arizona, but across the country, the need for a ready qualified
workforce is paramount to the success of the solar industry.
Mr. Chairman, I used to run my family's tire and automotive
business, and I would never believe that my mechanics could go
work on an airplane, just as I don't believe that a general
electrician can go and install a solar system. The Department
of Energy estimates that around 5,000 trained installers may be
needed by 2015, and currently, to date, we have just 365
certified solar electric installers, and 40 certified solar
thermal installers, so we have a long ways to go, in terms of
the numbers that we need to meet.
The solar industry is made up of many small and mid-sized
companies, which cannot afford to start these training programs
from scratch, or entirely on their own. They simply don't have
the budgets to provide the necessary technical training.
The workforce development section in my bill is pro-small
business and also pro-innovation. It is going to help these
small businesses with the workforce that they need to remain
competitive in a tough business environment that is in a
rapidly growing industry. But in addition, Mr. Inglis, I want
to make sure that you understand that there is ample precedent
for this kind of program. In Title XI of the 2005 Energy Policy
Act, and I have a copy here if you would like to see it, it
includes several energy-related workforce training programs
that have had wide bipartisan support.
The Administration's successful High Growth Job Training
Initiative, launched by President Bush in 2001, provided 38
partnerships nationwide between community colleges and
workforce agencies and employers. Also, the President's Jobs
for the 21st Century Initiative, announced at the 2004 State of
the Union Address, included a $250 million proposal to help
America's community colleges train 100,000 additional workers
for the industries that are creating most of the new jobs.
These initiatives help community colleges produce graduates
with the skills most in demand by local employers. If we want
to expand the use of solar technologies, we need to have these
trained workers in solar installation, that can help install
and maintain the equipment.
So, I understand what you are saying, Mr. Inglis, but I
respectfully disagree with you, and hope that Members will
oppose the amendment.
Chairman Gordon. Mr. Inglis, did you change your mind?
Mr. Inglis. No. But she is very persuasive. No. It sounds
like a great business opportunity for somebody to make a lot of
money installing these things. I am all for them.
Chairman Gordon. Is there further discussion? If not, the
motion is on the amendment. All in favor, say aye. Well, I
will--my hearing was a little off there, so I am going to try
that again.
Is there further discussion on the amendment? I don't see
any, so then, all in favor of the amendment, say aye. Opposed,
no. No. It appears that the nays have it. The amendment is not
agreed to.
Mr. Inglis. Mr. Chairman, could we have a roll call on
that?
Chairman Gordon. Certainly. The Clerk will call the roll.
The Clerk. Chairman Gordon.
Chairman Gordon. No.
The Clerk. Chairman Gordon votes no. Mr. Costello.
Mr. Costello. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Costello votes no. Ms. Johnson.
Ms. Johnson. no.
The Clerk. Ms. Johnson votes no. Ms. Woolsey.
Ms. Woolsey. No.
The Clerk. Ms. Woolsey votes no. Mr. Udall.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Wu.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Baird.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Miller.
Mr. Miller. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Miller votes no. Mr. Lipinski.
Mr. Lipinski. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Lipinski votes no. Mr. Lampson.
Mr. Lampson. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Lampson votes no. Ms. Giffords.
Ms. Giffords. No.
The Clerk. Ms. Giffords votes no. Mr. McNerney.
Mr. McNerney. No.
The Clerk. Mr. McNerney votes no. Mr. Kanjorski.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Ms. Hooley.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Rothman.
Mr. Rothman. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Rothman votes no. Mr. Honda.
Mr. Honda. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Honda votes no. Mr. Matheson.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Ross.
Mr. Ross. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Ross votes no. Mr. Chandler.
Mr. Chandler. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Chandler votes no. Mr. Carnahan.
Mr. Carnahan. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Carnahan votes no. Mr. Melancon.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Hill.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Mitchell.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Wilson votes no. Mr. Hall.
Mr. Hall. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Hall votes aye. Mr. Sensenbrenner.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Lamar Smith.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Rohrabacher.
Mr. Rohrabacher. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Rohrabacher votes aye. Mr. Bartlett.
Mr. Bartlett. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Bartlett votes aye. Mr. Ehlers.
Mr. Ehlers. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Ehlers votes aye. Mr. Lucas.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mrs. Biggert.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Akin.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Bonner.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Feeney.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Neugebauer.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Inglis.
Mr. Inglis. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Inglis votes aye. Mr. Reichert.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. McCaul.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Diaz-Balart.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Gingrey.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Bilbray.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Adrian Smith.
Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Adrian Smith votes aye.
Chairman Gordon. Mr. Wu has joined us.
The Clerk. Mr. Wu is not recorded.
Chairman Gordon. Ms. Hooley has joined us.
Ms. Hooley. No.
The Clerk. Ms. Hooley votes no.
Chairman Gordon. Ms. Biggert.
The Clerk. Mrs. Biggert is not recorded.
Ms. Biggert. Aye.
The Clerk. Mrs. Biggert votes aye.
Chairman Gordon. Are there other Members who have not been
recorded? If not, the Clerk will report.
The Clerk. Mr. Chairman, 7 Members vote aye, 17 Members
vote no.
Chairman Gordon. The courteous amendment is not agreed to.
Chairman Gordon. The fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments on
the roster are offered by the gentlelady from Texas, and we
appreciate her combining these, in the interests of time, and I
ask unanimous consent that these amendments be considered en
bloc. Without objection, so ordered.
Are you ready to proceed with your amendment, Ms. Johnson?
Ms. Johnson. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. And I believe there is an amendment at the
desk, and the Clerk will report those amendments.
The Clerk. Amendments to H.R. 2774, offered by Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson of Texas, amendment #068, #071, and #069.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
The gentlelady is recognized for five minutes to explain
her amendments.
Ms. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for considering these
three amendments. And they can be considered together.
One amendment focuses on Section 5(C) of the Solar Research
and Advancement Act. Texas is such a prime location for
renewable energies, such as solar and wind, and our citizens
could benefit greatly from use of these alternative energy
sources, if companies could develop and deploy the technology
to harness the energy. In order to be able to utilize solar
energy on a large scale, companies must be able to capture and
store it, so that reliable power can be delivered, even on a
cloudy day.
One small amendment adds two words to Section 4(A),
pertaining to a study on the method to integrate concentrating
solar power and regional electricity transmission systems. This
amendment clarifies the study. It should analyze cost-effective
approaches for management and large scale integration of
concentrating solar power. In devising this amendment, I wanted
to make certain that the Secretary report on methods for large
scale deployment that are cost-effective, so that companies can
actually use them. In addition, such methods must be suitable
for broad use in the electric energy system. This small change
simply clarifies the aim of the study, and I hope the Chairman
will find it acceptable.
The next amendment focuses on Section 5(C) of the Solar
Research and Advancement Act. This section pertains to the
newly established Solar Energy Curriculum Development and
Certification Grants Program. The purpose of this comparative
grant program is to ensure a supply of well trained individuals
to support the expansion of solar energy industry, and my
amendment adds a sentence to the end of Section C, Subsection
C, that simply says: ``Due consideration shall be given to
women, under-represented minorities, and persons with
disabilities.'' It has been a primary goal of mine to be sure
that these groups are considered fairly for grant programs
developed in this committee, and this change is consistent with
that goal.
The third amendment also amends Section 5 at the end. It
directs the Secretary to make public information, grantee
names, institutions, and a brief description of the project.
The public pays for this research, Mr. Chairman, so I feel that
transparency is in the public's best interest.
And again, I thank the Chairman, Mr. Udall, and Mr. Gordon,
the Chairman, for their receptiveness to these changes, and I
also thank Ms. Giffords for putting forth this bill.
I urge my colleagues to support these three little
amendments, and I thank the Chair, and yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Johnson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for considering my amendments all
together, and for the opportunity to present them to the Committee.
H.R. 2774 contains important policies to encourage research and
development pertaining to solar energy.
Texas is a prime location for renewable energies such as solar and
wind.
Our citizens could benefit greatly from use of these alternative
energy sources, if companies could develop and deploy the technology to
harness the energy.
In order to be able to utilize solar energy on a large scale,
companies must be able to capture and store it so that reliable power
can be delivered, even on a cloudy day.
One small amendment adds two words to Section 4(a), pertaining to a
study on methods to integrate concentrating solar power into regional
electricity transmission systems.
My amendment clarifies that the study shall analyze cost-effective
approaches for management and large-scale integration of concentrating
solar power.
In devising this amendment, I wanted to make certain that the
Secretary report on methods for large-scale deployment that are cost-
effective, so that companies can actually use them.
In addition, such methods must be suitable to broad use in the
electric energy system.
This small change simply clarifies the aim of this study, and I
hope the Chairman will find it acceptable.
The next amendment focuses on Section 5(c) of the Solar Research
and Advancement Act.
This section pertains to the newly-established ``Solar Energy
Curriculum Development and Certification Grants'' program. The purpose
of this competitive grant program is to ensure a supply of well-trained
individuals to support the expansion of the solar energy industry.
My amendment adds a sentence to the end of Subsection C that simply
says, ``Due consideration shall be given to women, under-represented
minorities and persons with disabilities.''
It has been a primary goal of mine to be sure these groups are
considered fairly for grant programs developed in this committee, and
this change is consistent with that goal.
The third amendment also amends Section 5, at the end. It directs
the Secretary to make public information grantee names, institutions,
and a brief description of the project.
The public pays for this research, Mr. Chairman, so I feel that
transparency is in the public's best interest.
Again, I thank Chairmen Lampson and Gordon for their receptiveness
to these changes to H.R. 2774, as well as Ms. Giffords for offering the
bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the amendments.
Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Ms. Johnson. As usual, you make
another constructive improvement to this bill. You do this time
and time again. Thank you for that.
Is there anyone else that would like to discuss the
amendments? If no, the vote occurs on the amendments. All in
favor, say aye. Aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The
amendments are agreed to.
The seventh amendment on the roster is offered by the
gentleman from Texas, Mr. Hall. Are you ready to proceed with
your amendment?
Mr. Hall. I am, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the
desk.
Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 2774, offered by Mr. Hall.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain his
amendment.
Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I thank you, and my amendment would
strike the section of the bill relating to research and
development of thermal energy storage technologies, and replace
it with a more comprehensive approach to research and
development on energy storage systems that would benefit all
the renewables.
As several of the witnesses expressed at the hearing on
this bill, energy storage systems for intermittent sources,
such as wind and solar, are very similar, and this would
include thermal storage systems, but would not limit research
and development on energy storage to this one area. This
language is included in a larger energy bill that was
introduced, that I introduced, and several Minority Members of
this committee joined.
It is my understanding, Mr. Chairman, that your staff is
currently working on an all-inclusive renewable energy storage
bill, and I am of the hopes, and I believe this language would
probably fit well with those efforts of yours. If I could have
your assurance that every effort would be made to address a
more comprehensive approach to energy storage systems, and
include the Minority in the drafting, which I believe you will
do, you have always been kind enough to do that, that
legislation, then I would withdraw my amendment.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Hall. I look very forward
to working with you on this joint bill.
Mr. Hall. This one, I am going to win. I withdraw my
amendment.
Chairman Gordon. We will give you another----
Mr. Hall. I yield back my time.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you. We will give you a chance to
win another one here. The eighth amendment on the roster is
offered also by the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Hall. Are you
ready to proceed with your amendment?
Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 2774, offered by Mr. Smith of
Texas.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. Without objection, so ordered.
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes, and I
understand that he is standing in for Mr. Smith's good bill.
Mr. Hall. Yes. This was Lamar Smith's amendment, and this
amendment establishes a competitive grant program to encourage
state governments and private industry to team up to
demonstrate advanced technology.
All states are eligible to participate in and are required
to contribute at least 10 percent of the funding. The Federal
Government matches the grant, at a maximum of 40 percent. The
rest of the money comes from utilities or private industry.
Since the grants are competitive, there is an incentive for
states and utilities to pledge more than the minimum amount.
And Mr. Chairman, I just ask unanimous consent Mr. Lamar
Smith's amendment summary into the record, and with that, why
this language was included in H.R. 5655 in the last Congress.
It has broad bipartisan and industry support. I would ask
unanimous consent to put that in the record.
Chairman Gordon. Without objection, yes.
Mr. Hall. The full statement of Mr. Smith in the record.
Chairman Gordon. The full statement of Mr. Smith will be
introduced in the record. I will say that we have worked with
him extensively on this, and I think it is a very good
amendment.
Mr. Hall. With this, I yield back my time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Lamar Smith
Solar power is clean, efficient and plentiful. It has zero
emissions and zero waste.
Despite the clear benefits of solar energy, it represents less than
one percent of America's current energy output--a number we need to
increase.
My amendment establishes a competitive grant program to encourage
state governments and private industry to team up to demonstrate
advanced photovoltaic technology.
This amendment takes an efficient, cost-effective approach. Under
this amendment, states are required to contribute AT LEAST 10 percent
of the grant funding.
The Federal Government matches the grant at a MAXIMUM of 40
percent. The rest of the funds would come from utilities or private
industry.
Since the grants are competitive, there is an incentive for states
and utilities to pledge much more than the minimum amounts.
Furthermore, every state would be eligible to participate in the
program. The program's funding starts with $15 million the first year
and ramps up to $70 million in 2013.
While this funding will be the start of many solar projects across
the Nation, I am pleased to know that many local communities have
already begun to embrace solar technology and realize its benefits,
including several cities within my district.
As many of you probably heard, Austin, Texas, was recently named
the 2007 Solar America City. This designation demonstrates the value
that the City of Austin and its leadership have placed in implementing
and researching solar technologies.
And in my hometown of San Antonio, CPS Energy recently announced a
solar energy joint project to install an array of 200-kilowatt solar
panels at the top of a 67,000-square-foot former warehouse facility.
I am hopeful that this amendment will encourage further solar
technology utilization. By encouraging communities to embrace solar
energy we can increase demand for solar power, broaden our knowledge of
the technology and eventually lower its costs.
This amendment is about energy security, national security, and
environmental security, and I look forward to its passing.
I thank Chairman Gordon for agreeing to accept my amendment. And I
also thank my Texas colleague, Ralph Hall, for his work on this issue.
Chairman Gordon. Is there further discussion on the
amendment? If no, the vote occurs on the amendment. All in
favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it. The
amendment is agreed to.
Now, the ninth and seemingly last amendment on the roster
is offered by the gentleman from Oregon, Mr. Wu. Are you ready
to proceed with your amendment?
Mr. Wu. Yes, I am, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk. Amendment to H.R. 2774, offered by Mr. Wu of
Oregon.
Chairman Gordon. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with
the reading. And without objection, so ordered.
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes to explain the
amendment.
Mr. Wu. Mr. Chairman, because I am having a vote at this
moment, in another committee in which I am serving, I would ask
unanimous consent that my remarks be inserted in the record.
Chairman Gordon. Without objection.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wu follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative David Wu
Thank you Mr. Chairman. My amendment is simple; it clarifies that
community colleges are explicitly eligible to compete for grants under
section five of H.R. 2774.
As the Committee report states: a certified well trained workforce
is critical to the success of the solar power industry. Currently there
are only 365 certified solar electric installers and 40 certified solar
thermal installers in the United States.
With an estimated 5,000 certified workers needed by 2015, the
United States currently lacks the necessary workforce to meet the
growing demand for solar energy. The Curriculum Development and
Certification Grants program is necessary to properly train a
sufficient number of solar energy workers.
The report states that programs in New York and Florida have
successfully partnered with community colleges to train a workforce to
meet local demand.
As drafted, H.R. 2774 does not mention community colleges as
explicitly eligible to compete for the federal funding. Given the
success in New York and Florida, H.R. 2774 should be amended to clarify
that community colleges are eligible.
Community colleges are essential institutions in the United States.
More than 11 million students attend a community college. Community
colleges have unique, responsive relationships with area businesses.
These partnerships help keep local economies strong, and contribute to
our nation's success in competing in an evolving global economy.
As alternative energies such as solar power become critical
components of the U.S. energy demand, it is important for local
community colleges to be included in the training of certified solar
energy workers.
My amendment will ensure community colleges are eligible to compete
for the grants within the bill, to train the workers who will implement
the new way forward toward increased energy security.
Thank you Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Wu. And I would just recommend this as a very good
amendment, and ask for everyone's support. Thank you.
Chairman Gordon. That is the best description I have heard
today.
Mr. Wu. I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairman Gordon. Does anyone else wish to make comments on
this amendment?
Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Gordon. Mr. Hall.
Mr. Hall. Inasmuch as Mr. Wu has helped me on my voice
voting several times, I want to urge you to pass his amendment.
We agree to the amendment.
Chairman Gordon. Thank you, Mr. Hall.
All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it.
The amendment is agreed to.
Are there other amendments? If no, the vote is on the bill,
H.R. 2774, as amended. All those in favor will say aye. Aye.
All those opposed will say no. In the opinion of the Chair, the
ayes have it.
I recognize Mr. Hall to offer a motion. Oh, excuse me. I
recognize Ms. Giffords, then, to offer a motion.
Ms. Giffords. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and also, Ranking
Member Hall, and again, I just want to thank, one more time,
Chris Garza of my staff, and the Science Committee staff, for
all of your help on this bill.
Mr. Chairman, I move the Committee favorably report H.R.
2774, as amended, to the House, with the recommendation that
the bill do pass. Furthermore, I move that the staff be
instructed to prepare the legislative report and make necessary
technical and conforming changes, and that the Chairman take
all necessary steps to bring the bill before the House for
consideration.
Chairman Gordon. The question is on the motion to report
the bill favorably. Those in favor of the motion will signify
by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. I notice that are no nos, so
apparently, we once again have a unanimous bill. The ayes have
it, and the bill is favorably reported.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon
the table. The Members will have two subsequent calendar days
in which to submit supplemental, Minority, or additional views
on the measures, ending Monday, July the 2nd, at 9:00 a.m. I
move, pursuant to Clause 1 or Rule 2 of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, that the Committee authorize the Chairman
to offer such motions as may be necessary in the House to adopt
and pass H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and Advancement
Act of 2007, as amended. Without objection, so ordered.
Congratulations, Ms. Giffords, on a very good bill. I thank
all of you, the hard core that are still here. We had a good
day. Four more bills of a dozen that will go into a good Energy
Bill next month, and again, a bipartisan, everybody go home and
take credit. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 1:10 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
Appendix:
----------
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment Markup Report, H.R. 2774 as
reported, Amendment Roster
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPORT FROM SUBCOMMITTEE MARKUP
JUNE 21, 2007
H.R. 2774, the Solar Energy Research and
Advancement Act of 2007
I. Purpose
The purpose of H.R. 2774 is to direct the Secretary of Energy to
establish important research and education programs to facilitate the
adoption of solar energy technologies.
II. Background and Need for Legislation
H.R. 2774 contains three basic components. The first two are
specifically related to concentrating solar power (CSP). A 2006 report
by the Western Governors' Association assessed the overall near-term
potential for CSP capacity in the American Southwest, taking into
account areas of high solar ray intensity, near-level land, non-
sensitivity to CSP use, and proximity to transmission. The resulting
set of potential plant sites totaled 200 GW of potential power
production. To put this in perspective, the electric generating
capacity of the entire United States is currently about 1,000 GW. Some
significant challenges remain to widespread implementation of CSP,
however.
CSP plants produce electric power by converting the sun's energy
into high-temperature heat using various mirror configurations. The
heat is then channeled through a conventional generator. These plants
consist of two parts: one that collects solar energy and converts it to
heat, and another that converts heat energy to electricity. Thermal
energy storage technology allows this heat to be retained for later use
in generating electricity, such as during periods of passing clouds or
into the evening.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 establishes a CSP research and
development program, but storage is not included in the language.
Witnesses at the June 19 hearing agreed that this technology is
critical to the viability of CSP as a significant energy option. Dr.
Dan Arvizu, the Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
noted that ``the ability of CSP technologies to store energy presents
an opportunity. . .[to] produce baseload power at about five cents per
kilowatt-hour. Such systems would include 13-17 hours of thermal
storage and would compete with the cost of power from coal plants using
carbon sequestration technology. It is expected that an aggressive R&D
program could achieve the cost goal by 2020.'' H.R. 2774 establishes a
program dedicated to advancing research and development in thermal
energy storage for CSP, authorizing $5 million for this program in FY
2008, and steadily increasing to $12 million in FY 2012.
The bill also tasks the Department of Energy (DOE) with conducting
two studies. The first would examine methods to integrate concentrating
solar power with regional electricity transmission systems, and to
identify new transmission or transmission upgrades needed to bring
electricity from high concentrating solar power resource areas to
growing electric power load centers throughout the United States. Along
with Dr. Arvizu, Mr. Herbert Hayden, Solar Technology Coordinator for
the Arizona Public Service (APS), lent his support to this study,
explaining that: ``Intermittent renewable resources such as wind and
solar present special economic challenges for transmission investment
because they do not efficiently utilize the transmission investment at
all times. . . We believe CSP has a significant potential to provide
large amounts of renewable energy to the U.S. and that a federal study
on transmission for large scale CSP would be beneficial and
appropriate.''
The second study would report on methods to reduce the amount of
water consumed by concentrating solar power systems, given the strain
on water resources in the Southwest. Mr. Hayden and Dr. Arvizu both
agreed that minimizing water usage is an important factor in reducing
cost. The results of both of these studies will help define a roadmap
for large-scale implementation of CSP to meet the Nation's growing
energy needs.
The last component of H.R. 2774 addresses the solar industry in
general. Having a certified, well-trained workforce to install and
maintain solar energy products is critical to the success of the
industry. DOE estimates that approximately 5,000 trained installers may
be needed by 2015 to accomplish its new Solar America Initiative, and
to date, there are just 365 certified solar electric installers and 40
certified solar thermal installers in the U.S. Some states, such as New
York and Florida, working with local community colleges, businesses,
the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), and the North American
Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) have recently
established successful programs to create a workforce to meet local
demand, however there is currently no federal program dedicated to
helping establish or improve these training programs across the Nation.
H.R. 2774 creates such a program, authorizing $10 million in each year
from FY 2008 through FY 2012. The bill instructs DOE to ensure
sufficient geographic distribution of training programs nationally, and
to only award grants for programs certified by the Institute of
Sustainable Power or equivalent industry-accepted quality-control
certification institution, or for new and growing programs with a
credible path to certification.
At the hearing, testimony supporting this legislation was given by
Ms. Jane Weissman, Executive Director of the Interstate Renewable
Energy Council and Vice-Chair of the North American Board of Certified
Energy Practitioners, as well as from Professor Joseph Sarubbi, Chair
of the Building Systems Technology Department at Hudson Valley
Community College. Ms. Weissman said that ``if market past performance
continues and current projections are realized, [current] training
opportunities fall far short of expected demand for qualified workers.
. . We need more classroom and hands-on training tailored to meet local
labor needs. . .'' She also noted that ``training needs to be based on
industry standards so that students are taught the right skills with
the right equipment.''
In summary, the research and education provisions in H.R. 2774 take
several steps beyond what was included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005
to make solar power a more viable option in the Nation's energy
portfolio.
III. Subcommittee Actions
On June 19, 2007, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords introduced H.R. 2774, the
Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007.
The Energy and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday,
June 19, 2007 to hear testimony on H.R. 2774 from the following
witnesses:
Mr. Herbert Hayden, the Arizona Public Service (APS)
Solar Technology Coordinator. Mr. Hayden testified on how
thermal storage research and development and the bill's
proposed studies on grid integration and water usage will help
advance the implementation of concentrating solar power.
Mr. Rhone Resch, the President of the Solar Energy
Industries Association (SEIA). Mr. Resch testified on the
status of the solar industry in general, and on how a proposed
research and information program for the industry would help to
support research and promote the adoption of solar power across
the Nation.
Ms. Jane Weissman, the Executive Director of the
Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), and the Vice-Chair
of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
(NABCEP). Ms. Weissman testified on the current status of
workforce training in solar installation and maintenance across
the country, and the need for a national solar workforce
training program.
Prof. Joseph Sarubbi, the Chair of the Building
Systems Technology Department at Hudson Valley Community
College. Prof. Sarubbi will testified on his ground-level
experience in creating a solar workforce training program,
including his partnership with local businesses and the State
of New York in developing a successful curriculum.
Dr. David Arvizu is the Director of the Department of
Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Arvizu will
testified on the DOE's current solar research and development
activities, and on his views regarding the proposed
legislation.
The Subcommittee on Energy and Environment met to consider H.R.
2774 on June 21, 2007 and consider the following amendment to the bill:
1. An amendment offered by Ms. Giffords, which instructs the
Secretary of Energy to establish a program to create and
strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship
programs across the Nation in installation, operation, and
maintenance of solar energy products. The goal of this program
is to ensure a supply of well-trained individuals to support
the expansion of the solar energy industry. The amendment was
agreed to by voice vote.
Ms. Woolsey moved that the Subcommittee favorably report the bill,
H.R. 2774, to the Full Committee on Science and Technology. The motion
was agreed to by a voice vote.
IV. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill
H.R. 2774 directs the Secretary to establish a research and
development program on thermal energy storage technologies for
concentrating solar power (CSP), authorizing $5 million for this
program in FY08, increasing to $12 million in FY12 ($43.5 million
total). The Secretary is also tasked with conducting two CSP studies.
One study will determine the necessary steps to integrate CSP plants
with the regional and national electric grid, and the other will
examine ways to reduce water usage in CSP plants. The last section of
the bill establishes a program to create and strengthen solar industry
workforce training and internship programs in installation, operation,
and maintenance of solar energy products. $10 million is authorized for
this program in each year from FY 2008 through FY 2012.
V. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as reported by the
Subcommittee
Section 1. Short Title
Act may be cited as the ``Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act
of 2007''.
Section 2. Definitions
Provides definitions for the following terms used in the Act:
`Department' and `Secretary'.
Section 3. Thermal Energy Storage Research and Development Program
Section 3(a) instructs the Secretary to establish a research and
development program on thermal energy storage technologies for
concentrating solar power. Section 3(b) authorizes appropriations of
$5,000,0000 in fiscal year 2008, $7,000,0000 in fiscal year 2009,
$9,000,0000 in fiscal year 2010, $10,500,0000 in fiscal year 2011, and
$12,000,0000 in fiscal year 2012.
Section 4. Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Studies
Section 4(a) instructs the Secretary to conduct a study that will
determine the necessary steps to integrate concentrating solar power
plants with the regional and national electric grid. Results of shall
be submitted to Congress no later than 12 months after the date of
enactment of this Act. Section 4(b) instructs the Secretary to conduct
a study on methods to reduce the amount of water consumed by
concentrating solar power plants. Results of shall be submitted to
Congress no later than six months after the date of enactment of this
Act.
Section 5. Solar Energy Curriculum Development and Certification
Grants
Section 5(a) instructs the Secretary to establish a competitive
grant program to create and strengthen solar industry workforce
training and internship programs in installation, operation, and
maintenance of solar energy products. Section 5(b) describes authorized
activities for these grant funds, including support of curriculum
development, certification programs, and internship programs. Section
5(c) describes the administration of grants, instructing the Secretary
to ensure sufficient geographic distribution of training programs
nationally, and to only award grants to certified training programs or
new and growing programs with a credible path to certification. Section
5(d) authorizes $10 million for this grant program in each fiscal year
from FY 2008 through FY 2012.