(a) The Congress hereby finds that—

(1) the needs of a viable society depend on an ample supply of energy;

(2) the current imbalance between domestic supply and demand for fuels and energy is likely to persist for some time;

(3) dependence on nonrenewable energy resources cannot be continued indefinitely, particularly at current rates of consumption;

(4) it is in the Nation's interest to expedite the long-term development of renewable and nonpolluting energy resources, such as solar energy;

(5) the various solar energy technologies are today at widely differing stages of development, with some already near the stage of commercial application and others still requiring basic research;

(6) the early development and export of viable equipment utilizing solar energy, consistent with the established preeminence of the United States in the field of high technology products, can make a valuable contribution to our balance of trade;

(7) the mass production and use of equipment utilizing solar energy will help to eliminate the dependence of the United States upon foreign energy sources and promote the national defense;

(8) to date, the national effort in research, development, and demonstration activities relating to the utilization of solar energy has been extremely limited; therefore

(9) the urgency of the Nation's critical energy shortages and the need to make clean and renewable energy alternatives commercially viable require that the Nation undertake an intensive research, development, and demonstration program with an estimated Federal investment which may reach or exceed $1,000,000,000.

(b) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the Federal Government to—

(1) pursue a vigorous and viable program of research and resource assessment of solar energy as a major source of energy for our national needs; and

(2) provide for the development and demonstration of practicable means to employ solar energy on a commercial scale.