S. 2901 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2901 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 18, 2014Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To increase the quantity of solar photovoltaic electricity by providing rebates for the purchase and installation of an additional 10,000,000 photovoltaic systems by 2024, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2014. 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) there is enormous potential for increasing the quantity of electricity produced in the United States from distributed solar photovoltaic systems; (2) as the market for solar technology continues to grow, the industry will achieve economies of scale that make the cost of solar-generated electricity broadly competitive with the cost of electricity from fossil fuels; (3) producing electricity from distributed solar photovoltaic systems helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and does not result in emissions of harmful air pollutants such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides; (4) increasing the quantity of electricity generated from domestic renewable energy sources enhances national energy security; (5) investments in solar energy and other renewable energy sources lead to the creation of green jobs that provide substantial economic benefits; (6) the United States solar industry employed more than 140,000 people spread across all 50 States in 2013, which is a 53 percent increase over 2010, according to the Solar Foundation; and (7) the solar industry is investing almost $15,000,000,000 in the United States economy annually, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Photovoltaic system The term photovoltaic system includes— (A) solar panels; (B) roof support structures; (C) inverters; (D) an energy storage system, if the energy storage system is integrated with the photovoltaic system; and (E) any other hardware necessary for the installation of a photovoltaic system. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy. 4. Rebates for purchase and installation of photovoltaic systems (a) In general The Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary shall provide rebates to eligible individuals or entities for the purchase and installation of photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial properties in order to install, over the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, at least an additional 10,000,000 photovoltaic systems in the United States (as compared to the number of photovoltaic systems installed in the United States as of the date of enactment of this Act) with a cumulative capacity of at least 60,000 megawatts. (b) Eligibility (1) In general To be eligible for a rebate under this section— (A) the recipient of the rebate shall be a homeowner, business, nonprofit entity, or State or local government that purchased and installed a photovoltaic system for a property located in the United States; and (B) the recipient of the rebate shall meet such other eligibility criteria as are determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. (2) Other entities After public review and comment, the Secretary may identify other individuals or entities located in the United States that qualify for a rebate under this section. (c) Amount Subject to subsection (d)(2), the amount of a rebate provided to an eligible individual or entity for the purchase and installation of a photovoltaic system for a property under this section shall be equal to the lesser of— (1) 15 percent of the initial capital costs for purchasing and installing the photovoltaic system, including costs for hardware, permitting and other soft costs, and installation; or (2) $10,000. (d) Intermediate report As soon as practicable after the end of the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, and publish on the website of the Department of Energy, a report that describes— (1) the number of photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial properties purchased and installed with rebates provided under this section; and (2) any steps the Secretary will take to ensure that the goal of the installation of an additional 10,000,000 photovoltaic systems in the United States is achieved by 2024. (e) Relationship to other law The authority provided under this section shall be in addition to any other authority under which credits or other types of financial assistance are provided for installation of a photovoltaic system for a property. 5. Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.