“This is the first step in the comprehensive solar energy agenda for the 110th Congress” — Gabrielle Giffords
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' first solar energy bill cleared a significant hurdle this afternoon, earning strong bipartisan support at a hearing of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
Giffords' Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007 is aimed at reducing global warming and increasing America's use of renewable energy by harnessing the power of the sun. Backing from the subcommittee paves the way for the legislation to be considered next week by the House Science and Technology Committee.
“A bold new era awaits us - an era of clean energy independence,” said Giffords, a member of the committee and vice chairwoman of the subcommittee. “I firmly believe this is the Apollo mission of our generation. Our goal today, however, is not to put a man on the icy surface of the moon, but to capture the awesome power of the sun.”
While drafting the bill, Giffords consulted with her Solar Energy Advisory Council, a group of scientists, engineers, business leaders and environmentalists from Southern Arizona. The act establishes a four-point plan to promote solar power. It calls for:
- The creation of a research and development program into thermal energy storage technologies for concentrating solar power (CSP). CSP uses mirrors to convert the sun's energy into heat, which is then used to produce electricity. The focus of the program will be on how to improve storage technology so that solar energy consumers can obtain electricity at night and on cloudy days;
- A report regarding the integration of concentrating solar power plants and regional electricity transmission systems, including how to send electricity from high solar resource areas (such as Arizona) to areas with less solar power;
- An analysis of how to reduce the amount of water consumed by concentrating solar power systems; and
- A program to create and strengthen solar industry workforce training and internship programs in order to ensure that current and future employees obtain the necessary skills to install, operate, and maintain solar energy products.
Two Arizona experts were among those who offered comments on Giffords' bill when it was formally unveiled Tuesday at a hearing of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Herbert Hayden, the solar technology coordinator for Arizona Public Service, traveled from Arizona to Washington D.C. to testify. He told the subcommittee that the research and development program Giffords wants “could significantly accelerate the use of this promising technology.”
Written testimony was provided by Roger Angel, a professor of astronomy and optical sciences at the University of Arizona and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In his testimony, Angel wrote that his support of the bill is rooted in “the need to mitigate global warming” by reducing fossil fuel consumption. “If the research supported by this bill takes us down this road, it will have been of great importance,” he wrote.
A recent report by the Integovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that global warming likely will have a dramatic impact on the American West by permanently reducing the flow of the Colorado River, a vital source of water and power for more than 25 million people in Arizona and six other states. The dire consequences of such an eventuality include more severe and prolonged droughts, water shortages, forest fires, and a proliferation of environmentally devastating invasive species.
To curb the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, Giffords believes solar energy can and must play a crucial role.
“The potential of solar energy is nothing short of astounding,” the Tucson lawmaker said. “In Arizona we have more than 300 days of brilliant sunshine every year. Not to tap this unlimited natural resource would be short-sighted and foolish. Solar energy stimulates business development, creates new jobs, helps protect our environment, and promotes energy independence. My legislation will move solar energy forward by targeting some of the gaps that several experts have identified in our national solar energy strategy.”
Giffords noted that her bill is only the beginning. “This is the first step in the overall solar energy agenda for the 110th Congress. I am considering additional pieces of legislation, and I know that other House committees are considering bills that could have a positive impact on solar energy,” the Tucson lawmaker said. “All solar energy technologies - photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, and solar heating and lighting - should be promoted if we are to realize the full potential of solar energy.”
To get more information on the bill, go to http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1897.