42 U.S.C. § 16313 — Solar Fuels Research Initiative
submitted 21 years ago by Pub. L. 109-58 to r/title-42-THE-PUBLIC-HEALTH-AND-WELFARE · 632 words · no verdicts yet
The Secretary must run the Solar Fuels Research Initiative. It supports basic and applied research on turning solar energy into chemical energy and on artificial and natural photosynthesis.
(a) The Secretary* must carry out the “Solar Fuels Research Initiative” to expand basic knowledge of photochemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science useful for experimental systems that convert solar energy to chemical energy. The Secretary must use expertise and resources from the Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental Research Programs and from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Activities must, as far as practicable, use multidisciplinary teams from National Laboratories, higher-education institutions, and private businesses. Teams must pursue aggressive basic-research goals tied to milestones, and the Secretary must provide enough resources for the time the Secretary sets. The Secretary may also use Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other structures.
(b) The Secretary must support research that overcomes barriers to artificial photosynthesis. The Basic Energy Sciences Director* must support distinct basic-research lines, including light-driven production of hydrogen and oxygen from water and sustainable light-driven reduction of carbon dioxide into fuels including hydrocarbons, alcohols, carbon monoxide, and natural gas. The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Assistant Secretary must support translating, developing, and validating the physical concepts. The Secretary must review progress against technical milestones. Of basic-energy-sciences funds, Congress authorizes $50,000,000 for each fiscal year 2023–2027 for this subsection.
(c) The Secretary must support research using artificial components and materials to replicate natural photosynthesis. Basic Energy Sciences must support research on light-driven conversion of dinitrogen to ammonia, absorbing carbon dioxide from ambient air, molecular charge separation and storage, light-started electron transfer, and biological or biomimetic catalysis. Biological and Environmental Research must support systems-biology and genomics work on genetic and physiological pathways connected to photosynthesis. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy must support translation, development, and validation. The Secretary must review technical milestones. Congress authorizes $50,000,000 for each fiscal year 2023–2027 for this subsection.
The Secretary* shall carry out a research initiative, to be known as the “Solar Fuels Research Initiative” (referred to in this section as the “Initiative”) to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge of photochemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science useful for the practical development of experimental systems to convert solar energy to chemical energy.
In carrying out programs and activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise and resources from—
the Basic Energy Sciences Program and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science; and
the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise from the National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the private sector.
The multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research goals.
The Secretary shall provide sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to be determined by the Secretary.
The Secretary may organize additional activities under this subsection through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to, artificial photosynthetic systems.
As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
the Director* of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall support basic research to pursue distinct lines of scientific inquiry, including—
photoinduced production of hydrogen and oxygen from water; and
the sustainable photoinduced reduction of carbon dioxide to fuel products including hydrocarbons, alcohols, carbon monoxide, and natural gas; and
the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out activities under this subsection $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to replicate natural photosynthetic processes by use of artificial photosynthetic components and materials.
As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall support basic research to expand fundamental knowledge to replicate natural synthesis processes, including—
the photoinduced reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia;
the absorption of carbon dioxide from ambient air;
molecular-based charge separation and storage;
photoinitiated electron transfer; and
catalysis in biological or biomimetic systems;
the Associate Director of Biological and Environmental Research shall support systems biology and genomics approaches to understand genetic and physiological pathways connected to photosynthetic mechanisms; and
the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out activities under this subsection $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 973, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 902; Pub. L. 115–246, title III, § 303(f)(1), formerly § 303(d)(1), Sept. 28, 2018, 132 Stat. 3141, renumbered § 303(f)(1), Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(a)(1), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1409; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(b), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1414.)
- 2005Enacted · Pub. L. 109-58 · 119 Stat. 902
- 2018Amended · Pub. L. 115-246 · 132 Stat. 3141
- 2022Amended · Pub. L. 117-167 · 136 Stat. 1414
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 109-58 on 2005-08-08.
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