The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUN WALL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1002 on May 26, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUN WALL
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HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, today I have introduced a bill to direct the administrator of General Services to install a photovoltaic system, known as the ``Sun Wall'' on the headquarters building of the Department of Energy. There is no more appropriate Federal building with which to demonstrate the power and promise of photovoltaics than the Department of Energy headquarters building, known as the Forrestal Building, located in Washington, DC.
Photovoltaics reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and offer distinct advantages over diesel generators and primary batteries. Photovoltaics are highly efficient and have no moving parts, so the need for maintenance is virtually nonexistent. Over 25 Federal buildings throughout the country, from Boston, MA, to San Francisco, CA, already use photovoltaics to great effect.
Located in our Nation's Capital, the Sun Wall project will serve as a model for the entire country. The design for the Sun Wall project has already been selected after an open competition. It is an attractive and energy efficient design that can generate a maximum of 200 kW of electricity and includes a solar thermal installation for hot water and hot air. The Sun Wall would be the largest building-integrated solar energy system on any Federal building in the country. All that is left to do is to provide the funding needed to purchase and install the proper equipment.
Mr. Speaker, an identical provision to this bill was enacted as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, last August. While the bill authorized funding for fiscal year 2006, no funding was appropriated for that year. This bill offers the same language as was included in that act, but allows funding to be appropriated in fiscal year 2007.
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