Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 92 Part 2.djvu/1239

 PUBLIC LAW 95-590—NOV. 4, 1978

92 STAT. 2519

(d) Section 624 of the Department of Energy Organization Act 42 USC 7234. shall be applicable to the Committee, except as inconsistent with this section. DISSEMINATION" OF INFORMATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE PRACTICAL USE OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES

SEC. 10 (a) The Secretary shall take all possible steps to assure that full and complete information with respect to the demonstrations and other activities conducted under this Act is made available to Federal, State, and local authorities, relevant segments of the economy, the scientific and technical community, and the public at large, both during and after the close of the programs under this Act, with the objective of promoting and facilitating to the maximum extent feasible the early and widespread practical use of photovoltaic energy throughout the United States. Any trade secret or other proprietary information shall be exempted from such mandatory disclosure, as otherwise specified in law applicable to research, development and demonstration programs of the Department of Energy, including, but not limited to, section 17 of the Federal Non-Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, Public Law 93-577, as amended. (b) The Secretary shall— (1) study the effect of the widespread utilization of photovoltaic systems on the existing electric utility system at varying levels of photovoltaic contribution to the system; (2) study and investigate the effect of utility rate structures, building codes, zoning ordinances, and other laws, codes, ordinances, and practices upon the practical use of photovoltaic systems; (3) determine the extent to which such laws, codes, ordinances, and practices should be changed to permit or facilitate such use and the methods by which any such changes may best be accomplished; and (4) determine the necessity of a program of incentives to accelerate the commercial application of photovoltaic technologies. (c) The Secretary is authorized and directed, within one year of the date of enactment of this Act, to make recommendations to the President and to the Congress for Federal policies relating to barriers to the early and widespread utilization of photovoltaic systems in order to realize the goals set forth in section 2. These recommendations shall include but not be limited to— (1) the potential for integration of electricity derived from photovoltaic energy systems into the existing national grid system, including the potential of photovoltaic-generated electricity to meet the peak-load energy needs of electric utilities, load management and reliability implications of the utilization of photovoltaic electricity by utilities, the implications of utility ownership of photovoltaic components leased to others primarily for decentralized applications, the impacts of utility use of electricity derived from photovoltaic energy systems on utility rate structures, and the potential for reducing or obviating the need for energy storage components for photovoltaic energy systems through utility interface;

42 USC 5589.

42 USC 5916. Studies and investigation.

Policy recommendations to the President and Congress.

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