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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 9001. Congressional findings and declaration of purpose
(a) The Congress finds that -
(1) the supply of nonrenewable fuels in the United States is
slowly being depleted;
(2) alternative sources of energy must be developed;
(3) ocean thermal energy is a renewable energy resource that
can make a significant contribution to the energy needs of the
United States;
(4) the technology base for ocean thermal energy conversion has
improved over the past two years, and has consequently lowered
the technical risk involved in constructing moderate-sized pilot
plants with an electrical generating capacity of about ten to
forty megawatts;
(5) while the Federal ocean thermal energy conversion program
has grown in size and scope over the past several years, it is in
the national interest to accelerate efforts to commercialize
ocean thermal energy conversion by building pilot and
demonstration facilities and to begin planning for the commercial
demonstration of ocean thermal energy conversion technology;
(6) a strong and innovative domestic industry committed to the
commercialization of ocean thermal energy conversion must be
established, and many competent domestic industrial groups are
already involved in ocean thermal energy conversion research and
development activity; and
(7) consistent with the findings of the Domestic Policy Review
on Solar Energy, ocean thermal energy conversion energy can
potentially contribute at least one-tenth of quad of energy per
year by the year 2000.
(b) Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to accelerate ocean
thermal energy conversion technology development to provide a
technical base for meeting the following goals:
(1) demonstration by 1986 of at least one hundred megawatts of
electrical capacity or energy product equivalent from ocean
thermal energy conversion systems;
(2) demonstration by 1989 of at least five hundred megawatts of
electrical capacity or energy product equivalent from ocean
thermal energy conversion systems;
(3) achievement in the mid-1990's, for the gulf coast region of
the continental United States and for islands in the United
States, its possessions and its territories, an average cost of
electricity or energy product equivalent produced by installed
ocean thermal energy conversion systems that is competitive with
conventional energy sources; and
(4) establish as a national goal ten thousand megawatts of
electrical capacity or energy product equivalent from ocean
thermal energy conversion systems by the year 1999.
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