92 STAT. 2514
PUBLIC LAW 95-590—NOV. 4, 1978 ment and assist private industry and other entities and thereby the general public, so as to hasten the general commercial use of such technologies; (11) the high cost of imported energy sources impairs the economic growth of many nations which lack sizable domestic energy supplies or are unable to develop these resources; (12) photovoltaic energy systems are economically competitive with conventional energy resources for a wide variety of applications in many foreign nations at the present time, and will find additional applications with continued cost reductions; (13) the early development and export of solar photovoltaic energy systems, consistent with the established preeminence of the United States in the field of high technology products, can make a valuable contribution to the well-being of the people of other nations and to this Nation's balance of trade; (14) the widespread use of solar photovoltaic energy systems to supplement and replace conventional methods for the generation of electricity would have a beneficial effect upon the environment; (15) to increase the potential application of solar photovoltaic energy systems in remote locations, and to minimize the need for backup systems depending on fossil fuel, programs leading to the development of inexpensive and reliable systems for the storage of electricity should be pursued as part of any solar photovoltaic energy research, development, and demonstration program; (16) evaluation of the performance and reliability of solar photovoltaic energy technologies can be expedited by testing of prototypes under carefully controlled conditions; (17) commercial application of solar photovoltaic energy technologies can be expedited by early commercial demonstration under practical conditions; (18) photovoltaic energy systems are currently adaptable on a life cycle, cost-justified basis for certain of the energy needs of the Federal Government, and will find additional applications as continued refinements improve performance and reduce unit costs; (19) the Federal Government can stimulate innovation and economic efficiency in the production of photovoltaic energy systems through the development and implementation of policies to promote diversity and maximum competition between firms engaged in the research, manufacture, installation, and/or maintenance of these systems; (20) innovation and creativity in the development of solar photovoltaic energy components and systems can be fostered through encouraging direct contact between the manufacturers of such systems and the architects, engineers, developers, contractors, and other persons interested in utilizing such systems; and (21) it is contemplated that the ten-year program established by this Act will require the expenditure of $1,500,000,000 by the Federal Government. (b) I t is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States and the purpose of this Act to establish during the next decade an aggressive research, development, and demonstration program involving solar photovoltaic energy systems and in the long term, to have as an objective the production of electricity from photovoltaic systems cost competitive with utility-generated electricity from conventional sources. Further, it is declared to be the policy of the United States and
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