SECTION 13. TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS

This section authorizes the transfer of all the research and development functions vested in NASA, along with funds appropriated under section 14, to any permanent Federal organization having jurisdiction over the energy research and development functions of the U.S. Such a transfer, if it takes place, will be effected within 60 days after the Federal agency is created by law.

SECTION 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

For fiscal year 1975, $5,000,000 each are authorized to be appropriated to NASA and HUD to carry out their functions under this Act.

Additional funds as necessary for the following four years are authorized to be appropriated to HUD in order that they might effectively project future endeavors within the scope of this Act.

Since NASA is customarily authorized appropriations on a yearly basis, no additional authorization is contained in this section.

VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with subsection 4 of rule XXIX of the Standing Rules of the Senate changes in existing law made by the bill are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACT OF 1958

Public Law 85-568 (72 Stat. 426)

TITLE II-COORDINATION OF AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE ACTIVITIES

SEC. 203. (a)

FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION

(b) The Administration shall initiate, support, and carry out basic and applied research, development, demonstrations, and other related activities in solar heating and cooling technologies, including (to the extent that funds are appropriated therefor) activities as provided for in sections 5, 6, and 7 of the Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974. [(b)] (c) In the performance of its functions the Administration is authorized *

Senator KENNEDY. Ths subcommittee has had over the years a valuable and worthwhile relationship with the National Science Foundation.

The Foundation, and the members of this subcommittee, have long been interested in the development of solar energy. I think that the NSF deserves a great deal of credit for the research and development it has carried out in this area, beginning long before the energy crisis was on the front pages of newspapers all over this country.

The Foundation has been funding solar energy research since the early 1950's, and in more recent years has been especially anxious to expand its solar research program. The Congress has given the Foundation full support and the programs have moved ahead, despite the fact that in 1973 the administration actually withheld a significant amount of the funds appropriated by the Congress for research into alternative energy sources. We are particularly interested in the Foundation's views on the pending legislation and any advice which may be forthcoming on whether HUD or NASA should be given lead agency responsibility.

We all agree that there is an urgent need for this legislation. The chief issue that remains to be resolved is which agency should have the primary responsibility for directing the program. Today we will hear from witnesses from the NSF as well as from public witnesses with a great deal of experience in solar energy work.

Although I represent a State in the Northeast, an area not generally recognized as an area with an abundance of possibilities for the use of solar energy, MIT in the early 1940's built several solar homes in Cambridge and in Dover, Mass. They operated very successfully.

And just this month, the Grover Cleveland Junior High School in South Boston was retrofitted with solar heating panels under a grant from the National Science Foundation. Also, the Audubon Society in Lincoln, Mass. has contracted for a building to be heated and cooled by solar energy.

We recognized that we still need to develop new technology for solar cooling, but the best information we have indicates that this can be done within the next 2 or 3 years.

I am cosponsor of the bill introduced by Senator Cranston, along with many other Members of the Senate. As chairman of this subcommittee and as one who represents a State which consumes an enormous amount of fossil fuel and is experiencing an increasing burden as a result of rising fuel costs, I am very interested in the provisions of Senator Cranston's legislation. We in New England also believe in the great potential of solar energy in terms of the environment.

The Office of Technology Assessment, whose governing board I chair, is also deeply interested in the prompt development of solar energy. It is presently conducting a technology assessment of solar energy which is a natural follow-on to this legislation.

The subcommittee looks forward to the testimony that will be presented today from witnesses who have considerable expertise in the solar energy area.

We also want to recognize Senator Stafford of Vermont, who serves on this subcommittee. I know how interested he has been in this issue. Senator, I was just pointing out that even though the sun shines down

on the Southwest with greater intensity than on New England, solar energy can benefit those of us in the Northeast. It can be terribly worthwhile and valuable to our area.

Senator Stafford.

Senator STAFFORD. Thank you very much, Senator. I have no opening statement.

I agree with what you have just been saying. I think that research in solar energy and its use is extremely important to this Nation as we drive ahead to make ourselves energy self-sufficient.

So I am looking forward to the testimony here. Like your State, mine consumes a lot of fossil fuels in the winter. We would welcome alternatives, particularly alternatives that we do not have to go overseas to find, so I am looking forward to the testimony here this morning.

Senator KENNEDY. Very fine.

The first witness this morning from the National Science Foundation is Dr. Raymond Bisplinghoff, Deputy Director of the Foundation, and for many years a distinguished professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is accompanied by Dr. Alfred Eggers, the Director of the RANN program who spent much of his career in the space program where he was renowned for helping solve the reentry problem in getting space vehicles back to Earth successfully. I hope the RANN program's effort to bring solar energy into widespread use on Earth is just as successful. STATEMENT OF RAYMOND BISPLINGHOFF, Sc. D., DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ACCOMPANIED BY ALFRED EGGERS, JR., Ph. D., ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH APPLICATIONS, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I am pleased to represent the National Science Foundation at today's hearing on H.R. 11864 and S. 2560.

With your permission, I would like to make a very brief introductory statement and then ask Dr. Alfred Eggers, NSF Assistant Director for Research Applications, who is sitting to my right, to make a more complete statement on the subject matter of this bill.

Dr. Stever, the Director of NSF, asked me to express his regrets to you that he is unable to attend today. He is in a sunny climate. He went to Israel on United States/Israel National Science Foundation cooperation.

Senator KENNEDY. They have a rather interesting program in solar energy over there.

Dr. BISPLINGHOFF. Yes, sir, they have. We have been very much interested in following their progress.

Mr. Chairman, the National Science Foundation occupies an extremely important position in the total Federal energy program. As you know, the President has designated the Foundation as the lead Federal agency for solar and geothermal energy R. & D. and for energy manpower resources.

In addition, the Director of the National Science Foundation in his role as the President's science advisor provides integrated systems

data on energy R. & D. policy issues to the administration with aid of his energy R. & D. policy office and science and technology policy offices.

The function of the science and technology policy office, are essentially those that were transferred to NSF when the OST was abolished. The National Science Foundation also has the lead responsibility for research in solar energy throughout the Government. All of these activities are coordinated through a range of mechanisms that involve Federal agencies, universities, States and local governments, industry, and others.

As Dr. Eggers will explain, the Foundation is moving very vigorously on all its solar energy research, including the solar heating and cooling of buildings as part of this effect.

Important working arrangements have been established among universities, industry, and government organizations. They are in place and they are working well.

Senator Kennedy, I would like now to introduce Eggers, who will highlight the Foundation's solar energy program with particular focus on solar heating and cooling of buildings.

STATEMENT OF ALFRED EGGERS, JR., PH. D., ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH APPLICATIONS, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Dr. EGGERS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to present today the views of the National Scence Foundation on H.R. 11864, the "Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974," and to outline the research gram supported by the Foundation to achieve early applications of solar energy.

This subcommittee has long recognized the importance of energy research.

Senator KENNEDY. How long have you been doing research at NSF on solar energy?

Dr. EGGERS. Very basic research began with NSF literally about the time the NSF itself began in 1950. It was a small effort, primarily a knowledge gathering effort. However, it wasn't until 1971 that the potential of solar energy for practical application to meet our demands was fully realized and the program began to accelerate with the strong support of your committee.

This subcommittee established a minimum for the RANN energy program for fiscal year 1974 which accelerated our basic and applied research activities, through proof-of-concept experiments. The Foundation has developed and implemented a major energy research program, a large part of which is devoted to solar energy.

Later in my statement, I will describe some of the significant results of this research which have potential for widespread application in the civilian economy.

As Dr. Bisplinghoff stated the Foundation is the lead Federal agency for solar energy research. This research is a broad and aggressive effect which focuses on advancing the technology for solar thermal conversion, wind energy conversion, bioconversion to fuels, and ocean thermal

and photovoltaic conversion, as well as the heating and cooling of buildings.

All of those aspects of generating energy are included under solar energy.

Through these technologies, solar energy can be used to generate electric power, to provide space heating and cooling and to produce renewable supplies of clean, hydrocarbon fuels. It is estimated that, with widespread application of these technologies, solar energy could meet some 30 percent of the Nation's energy needs as we move into the next century.

In the case of heating and cooling of buildings, the estimates are that some 25 to 50 percent of the total energy needs could be satisfied in that same time period with solar energy applications.

It is generally accepted that solar energy is essentially inexhausible and that it can be employed in a relatively nonpolluting fashion. The great challenge which must be met to achieve its widespread application is to find ways to utilize it that are socially and economically acceptable.

This challenge encompasses not only the surmounting of technical problems, but also overcoming legal, regulatory and institutional barriers which may exist.

In addition, it may be necessary to provide incentives which could encourage early implementation of solar energy technologies. These incentives might include (1) subsidies on capital investment, (2) subsidies on initial operating costs, (3) guaranteed or low-interest rate loans, and (4) guaranteed minimum sales on equipment development. It is clear from these considerations that an effective, overall solar energy research program must deal with all these major issues, ranging from the technical to the socioeconomic and the environmental. This requires a team effort involving the best experts on these issues from Government, industry, and universities. It also requires involving from the outset, the key users of the results of the research, including the Federal mission agencies and manufacturers. This principle has guided the development of the NSF solar energy research program from its initiation.

I would now like to give a few selected examples which highlight our program and give further emphasis to the points that I have just made. First, significant emphasis is being placed on photovoltaic conversion, that is, the use of solar cells like those used to generate electricity in space. This is a formidable challenge, since there is a need to reduce manufacturing costs by a factor of 100 to 1,000.

A dramatic improvement in the quality of continuous single crystal ribbon [figure 1] has been obtained in a joint Harvard University/ Tyco Laboratories project which is being sponsored by NSF/RANN in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA.