Talking About the Solar Technology Roadmap

Recently the House of Representatives has been talking about the Solar Technology Roadmap.  This is a bill that will lay out the future of solar.  It will set the standard for research and development priorities and new technology advancements over the next 20 years.  Here is a summary of the bill:

H.R. 3585 establishes a comprehensive road-mapping process for solar
technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D)
activities conducted by the federal government in partnership with the
private sector, with a focus on the Department of Energy (DOE). The
Secretary of Energy is also directed to award grants to carry out these
programs on a merit-reviewed basis, and specifically to provide awards
to industry-led consortia for RD&D in solar manufacturing.

The roadmap provision is modeled on the successful National (now
International) Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, which has been
instrumental in helping semiconductor technology advance rapidly over
the past two decades.

The Secretary must appoint a Solar Technology Roadmap Committee,
comprised of at least 11 members, within four months of enactment of
the Act. At least one-third but not more than half of the members of
the Committee must come from the solar industry. The Secretary must
also appoint a Committee chair, who shall not be a federal employee.

H.R. 3585 requires that the Committee create a Solar Technology
Roadmap within eighteen months of enactment of the Act. The Roadmap
will present the best current estimate of the near-term (up to 2
years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up to 15 years)
RD&D needs in solar technology. It must also provide direct
guidance for solar technology RD&D activities supported by the
federal government. The bill requires that 30% of DOE solar RD&D
funding in 2012 is pursuant to the recommendations of the Roadmap,
ramping up to 75% in 2015. The Committee must update the Roadmap
annually as needed, and comprehensively review and revise it every
three years.

The Solar Technology Roadmap Act authorizes DOE to conduct at least
10 photovoltaic demonstration projects ranging from 1 to 3 megawatts in
size and at least 3 but not more than 5 solar projects greater than 30
megawatts in size. DOE is also required to study the performance of
photovoltaic installations and identify opportunities to improve the
energy productivity of these systems. In addition, DOE must establish a
program of RD&D related to the reuse, recycling, and safe disposal
of photovoltaic devices.

The bill authorizes $350 million for DOE to carry out these activities in FY 2011, rising to $550 million in FY 2015.