Chemistry Project 2
"Solar Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Act (1974)."
Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 23 Oct. 201
Following the outbreak of the ArabIsraeli war in 1973, Arab oilproducing states imposed an embargo on oil exports to the United States. The embargo lasted from
October 1973 to March 1974, and the long gas lines it caused highlighted the United
States' dependence on foreign petroleum. Congress responded by enacting the Solar
Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1974.
The act stated that it was henceforth the policy of the federal government to "pursue a vigorous and viable program of research and resource assessment of solar energy as a major source of energy for our national needs." The act's scope embraced all energy sources which are renewable by the sunincluding solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and energy derived from wind, sea thermal gradients, and photosynthesis. To achieve its goals, the act established two programs: the Solar Energy Coordination and
Management Project and the Solar Energy Research Institute.
The Solar Energy Coordination and Management Project consisted of six members, five of whom were drawn from other federal agencies, including the National Science
Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Power
Commission, NASA, and the Atomic Energy Commission. Congress intended that the project would coordinate national solar energy research, development, and demonstration projects, and would survey resources and technologies available for solar energy production. This information was to be placed in a Solar Energy
Information Data Bank and made available to those involved in solar energy development. Over the decade following the passage of the act in 1974, the United States government spent $4 billion on research in solar and other renewable energy technologies. During the same period, the government spent an
Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 23 Oct. 201
Following the outbreak of the ArabIsraeli war in 1973, Arab oilproducing states imposed an embargo on oil exports to the United States. The embargo lasted from
October 1973 to March 1974, and the long gas lines it caused highlighted the United
States' dependence on foreign petroleum. Congress responded by enacting the Solar
Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1974.
The act stated that it was henceforth the policy of the federal government to "pursue a vigorous and viable program of research and resource assessment of solar energy as a major source of energy for our national needs." The act's scope embraced all energy sources which are renewable by the sunincluding solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and energy derived from wind, sea thermal gradients, and photosynthesis. To achieve its goals, the act established two programs: the Solar Energy Coordination and
Management Project and the Solar Energy Research Institute.
The Solar Energy Coordination and Management Project consisted of six members, five of whom were drawn from other federal agencies, including the National Science
Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Power
Commission, NASA, and the Atomic Energy Commission. Congress intended that the project would coordinate national solar energy research, development, and demonstration projects, and would survey resources and technologies available for solar energy production. This information was to be placed in a Solar Energy
Information Data Bank and made available to those involved in solar energy development. Over the decade following the passage of the act in 1974, the United States government spent $4 billion on research in solar and other renewable energy technologies. During the same period, the government spent an