H.R. 3597 — what changed

To improve the energy efficiency, reliability, resilience, security, and capacity of solar energy generation.

To optimize the design and adaptability of solar energy systems to the broadest practical range of geographic and atmospheric conditions.

To reduce the cost of manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy systems.

To create and improve conversion of solar energy to useful forms.

In General— In carrying out the program established under section 2(a), the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities for demonstration projects to advance the development of solar energy technologies and systems production.

Priority— In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to projects that—

are located in geographically diverse regions of the United States;

can be replicated in a variety of regions and climates;

demonstrate technologies that address intermittency, variability, storage challenges, behind-the-meter operations, and independent operational capability;

coordinate solar technologies with other distributed and large-scale energy resources;

facilitate identification of optimum approaches among competing solar energy technologies;

include business commercialization plans that have the potential for production of solar energy equipment at high volumes;

support the development of advanced manufacturing technologies that have the potential to improve United States competitiveness in the international solar energy manufacturing sector;

provide the greatest potential to reduce energy costs, as well as promote accessibility and community implementation of demonstrated technologies, for consumers;

increase disclosure and transparency of information to all market participants to help in making optimal decisions;

Use of funds— Grants under this section may be used, to the extent that funding is not otherwise available through other Federal programs or power purchase agreements, for—

any necessary site engineering study;

an economic assessment of site-specific conditions;

appropriate feasibility studies to determine whether the demonstration can be replicated;

installation of equipment, service, and support;

operation for at least the minimum amount of time required to fully assess the project’s results and objectives, as determined by a peer-reviewed process; and

validation of technical, economic, and environmental assumptions and documentation of lessons learned.

Solicitation— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct a national solicitation for applications for grants under this section.

In general— Not later than September 1, 2020, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and any other committees of Congress deemed appropriate by the Secretary a report on the results of a study that examines the viable market opportunities available for solar energy technology manufacturing in the United States, including solar cells, hardware, and enabling technologies.

Report requirements— The report under paragraph (1) shall include—

a description of—

the ability to competitively manufacture solar technology in the United States, including the manufacture of—

new and advanced materials, such as cells made with new, cost-effective, high efficiency materials;

solar module equipment and enabling technologies, including smart inverters, sensors, and tracking equipment;

innovative solar module designs and applications, including those that can directly integrate with new and existing buildings and other infrastructure; and

other research areas as determined by the Secretary; and

opportunities and barriers within the United States and international solar energy technology supply chains;

policy recommendations for enhancing solar energy technology manufacturing in the United States; and

an aggressive 10-year target and plan, beginning in 2021, to enhance the competitiveness of solar energy technology manufacturing in the United States.

reduce capital expenditures or provide lower-cost manufacturing option;

eliminate manufacturing process steps;

reduce energy, water, and material inputs;

establish alternative supply chains for materials and components; and

take advantage of rapid prototyping, small batch manufacturing, and roll-to-roll processing.

Program evaluation— Beginning not later than 3 years after the completion of the report under subsection (b), and every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary shall provide, and make available to the public and the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of Congress, an independent review of the program authorized under this section to evaluate its progress toward meeting the policy recommendations and targets determined in the report.

technology to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic device recycling and maximize the recovery of valuable raw materials for use in new products while minimizing the life-cycle environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and water usage;

expanded uses for materials from recycled photovoltaic devices;

development and demonstration of environmentally responsible alternatives to the use of hazardous materials in photovoltaic devices and the production of such devices;

development of methods to separate and remove hazardous materials from photovoltaic devices and to recycle or dispose of those materials in a safe manner;

product design and construction to facilitate disassembly and recycling of photovoltaic devices;

tools and methods to aid in assessing the environmental impacts of the production of photovoltaic devices and photovoltaic device recycling and disposal;

product design and construction and other tools and techniques to extend the life cycle of photovoltaic devices, including methods to promote their safe reuse;

strategies to increase consumer acceptance and practice of recycling of photovoltaic devices; and

processes to reduce the costs and environmental impact of disposal of toxic materials used in photovoltaic devices.

the project that will be undertaken and the contributions of each participating entity;

the applicability of the project to increasing reuse and recycling of photovoltaic devices with the least environmental impacts as measured by life-cycle analyses, and the potential for incorporating the research results into industry practice; and

how the project will promote collaboration among scientists and engineers from different disciplines, such as electrical engineering, materials science, and social science.

Dissemination of results— The Secretary shall publish the results of projects supported under this section through—

development of best practices or training materials for use in the photovoltaics manufacturing, design, installation, refurbishing, or recycling industries;

dissemination at industry conferences;

coordination with information dissemination programs relating to recycling of electronic devices in general;

demonstration projects; and

In general— Not later than September 1, 2021, the Secretary shall establish a comprehensive physical property database of materials for use in photovoltaic devices. Such database shall include—

identification of materials used in photovoltaic devices;

a list of commercially available amounts of these materials and their country of origin;

amounts of these materials projected to be available through mining or recycling of photovoltaic and other electronic devices; and

a list of other significant uses for each of these materials.

Priorities— Not later than September 1, 2020, the Secretary, working with private industry, shall develop a plan to establish priorities and requirements for the database under this subsection, including the protection of proprietary information, trade secrets, and other confidential business information.

Coordination— The Secretary shall coordinate with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Administrator of the Department of Interior to facilitate the incorporation of the database under this subsection with any existing database for materials involved in electronic manufacturing and recycling.