---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 9204"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "9204"
heading: "Research, development, and demonstration"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/9204"
units:
  - "Chapter 100 — Wind Energy Systems"
---

# §9204. Research, development, and demonstration

- (a) **Areas of knowledge limiting system utilization—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7) shall initiate research and development or accelerate existing research and development in areas in which the lack of knowledge limits the widespread utilization of [wind energy systems](/usc/42/9202.md?p=1) in order to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
- (b) **Development of system prototypes and improvements—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7) shall continue an aggressive program for the development of prototypes of advanced [wind energy systems](/usc/42/9202.md?p=1).
  - (2) As often as he deems appropriate, the [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7) shall solicit and evaluate proposals for the research and development of any new or improved technologies, which, in the [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7)’s opinion, will contribute to the development of improvements in current [wind energy systems](/usc/42/9202.md?p=1).
- (c) **Acquisition of economic, scientific, and technological information of system operations under various circumstances and conditions—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7) is authorized to enter into contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements with [public and private entities](/usc/42/9202.md?p=4) for the purchase, fabrication, installation, and testing to obtain scientific, technological, and economic information from the demonstration of a variety of prototypes of advanced [wind energy systems](/usc/42/9202.md?p=1) under a variety of circumstances and conditions.
- (d) **Other provisions inapplicable—** In carrying out the responsibilities under this section, the [Secretary](/usc/42/9202.md?p=7) is not subject to the requirements of [section 553 of title 5](/usc/5/553.md) or [section 7191 of this title](/usc/42/7191.md).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–345, § 5, Sept. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 1141.)