House Votes to Invest in Clean, Renewable Energy Research and Development

WASHINGTON - The House today approved the Solar Technology Roadmap Act, which includes an amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, to help spur further research and development of solar technology.  H.R. 3585 passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 310 to 106.

"Refocusing our energy production on alternative sources such as solar is critical for our national security and the environment," said Mitchell.  "With over 300 days of sunshine a year, we have a real opportunity to brighten Arizona's future by investing in solar energy research and technology."

H.R. 3585 would establish a Solar Technology Roadmap Committee tasked with evaluating near-term, mid-term, and long-term needs in solar technology research, development, and demonstration.  This Committee would include a variety of solar industry stakeholders to provide insights on the deployment of this technology.  They would work to expedite improvements to solar technologies by identifying research goals that improve performance, decrease the cost of generated electricity, improve reliability, and maximize the environmental benefits of solar technologies.

Mitchell's amendment to H.R. 3585 addresses an important obstacle blocking the advancement of solar technology today - specifically, that solar technology is currently cost-prohibitive.  The amendment would ensure that the Solar Technology Roadmap includes research and development goals for improving the cost-effectiveness of domestic manufacturing of implements and devices used in the production of solar energy.  The amendment offered by Rep. Mitchell was incorporated into a Manager's Amendment which passed the House by voice vote.

"If we are serious about making large scale solar energy production a reality, it is critical that we focus our research efforts on ensuring that solar technology is affordable and competitive with other sources of energy," said Mitchell.