tiveness of operation when compared to conventional systems. Designs of this nature require specific studies of building types and systems, and the allocation of subsequent funds for demonstrations should be based upon such studies. Question 5. Promoting retrofitting will greatly expand the market potential for manufacturers, but will presumably be less aesthetically pleasing; new construction would be more economical and trouble free. Would you recommend pursuing both approaches in this demonstration phase? Why? Answer 5. I feel that retrofit as well as new installations should be undertaken in solar heating and cooling demonstrations. Since our long-term goal is to make significant in-roads on energy consumption, it is necessary that the retrofit market be actively pursued. There also exists the possibility of aesthetically improving the appearance of certain building types with the addition of solar energy systems and facades. Question 6. What recommendations can you make to insure that high standards of performance and quality are met by manufacturers of solar heating and cooling units? Answer 6. NSF is working with the National Bureau of Standards and other organizations to establish testing and rating standards for solar heating and cooling units. These standards, when applied to a new product line, will provide architects and mechanical contractors with the necessary assurance of the quality of these products. Additionally, the National Science Foundation is planning to produce design and data guides to aid in the selection of solar heating and cooling equipment. Question 7. How can professional organizations (architects, engineers, etc.) and other groups (lenders, realtors, etc.) provide assistance in meeting the objectives of this legislation? Answer 7. Professional organizations should be utilized in establishing the plans and strategies of each project. Realtors and lenders also have an important role to play in assuring that a project will be accepted by the public and should be included in the planning for any project. The NSF program places heavy emphasis on enlisting the cooperation and support of the total user community as we proceed toward proof-of-concept experiments. Question 8. What specific recommendations can you make regarding patents and protection of proprietary rights to ensure maximum industrial participation in this demonstration project? Answer 8. It is our recommendation that industry be permitted to maintain their rights in data and inventions as long as there are appropriate safeguards that such inventions and data will be actively utilized by industry. Question 9. Can you suggest any additional incentives or marketing strategies which will ensure widespread and continued acceptance of solar heating and cooling technology by designers, builders, lenders, and buyers? Answer 9. Suggestions for incentives and marketing strategies are being solicited from the many organizations that will affect continued public acceptance of solar heating and cooling. This is one of the important objectives of our ongoing studies, and I hesitate to pre-judge the results at this early date. Question 10. The Energy Subcommittee views the responsibilities of each of the Federal Agencies as being nonoverlapping, and within their own areas of expertise. Do you agree with this view? Do you have any suggestions for improving the administrative aspects of the bill? Answer 10. It is my view that activities of this nature require the cooperation of numerous Federal agencies. We view these activities as a team effort, and there is no significant overlapping among these agencies. It is intended that the Interagency Panel on Terrestrial Application of Solar Energy be maintained to provide the necessary communication between the various Federal agencies and assure a continuity of effort in this program. Question 11. You stated “... we have reservations about the immediate initiation of plans for widespread commercial demonstration of solar systems for residential dwellings", and yet you seemed to support the Solar Energy Panel's goals, which included a demonstration phase, of having solar heating reach the public in five years (four years from now). Since the timetable in H.R. 10952 seems to be a crash program which will barely meet this goal, the Subcommittee would appreciate receiving further details on how you would meet the Panel's goals. Reference to contractor reports in support of your position would be most helpful. Answer 11. Our study program is intended to identify the best approaches to be followed to support the goals of the Solar Energy Panel. Our proof-of-concept experiments (POCE's) will be based upon the recommendations of these studies. While we anticipate experiments will be conducted on residential heating and cooling systems, the most significant impact to be made toward these goals may be in other than residential buildings applications. Unfortunately, the results from these studies will not be available before May, 1974. We feel that only after these studies are completed can we select the proper direction for our POCE's and only after the POCE's can we choose good demonstration projects. We support the Solar Energy Panel's goals but our schedule would probably add about one year to the schedule proposed in the bill and would include a reasonable time to develop a data base to provide a good analysis. Question 12. Several witnesses raised the issue of inadequate zoning laws with regard to "sun rights". Can you suggest specific corrective action that might be taken? Answer 12. The issue of zoning and sunrights is being studied in depth by our contractors and, at this time, we have no specific recommendations in this area. Question 13. As industry takes over the commercialization of solar heating and cooling equipment, what role do you see for University based solar researchers? Answer 13. I feel that there will be a continuing need for university research in maximizing the potential for utilizing the vast solar energy resource and that commercialization may increase the need for research work in materials, new concepts for capturing solar power, and new cycles for refrigeration. The research can provide second and third generation systems for further commercialization. Question 14. Can you provide suggestions for implementation of Section 10 of H.R. 10952, which will provide protection for small business? Answer 14. I do not have any suggestions for implementation of section 10 regarding small businesses, except that the appropriate sections of the Federal Procurement Regulations be implemented. Question 15. The proper conduct of the residential design competitions was a concern of a number of witnesses. Could you provide any specific suggestions to ensure the successful generation of an adequate number of practical designs? Answer 15. I regret that I cannot make concrete suggestions to ensure an adequate design competition which results in a sufficient number of practical designs. However, I would stress the point I made previously and orient my requirements to make the most use of carefully formulated performance-based specifications. Such specifications will do much to ensure design adequacy. The existing NSF programs will result in detailed recommendations for such performance-based specifications and could result in many design variations. Question 16. Can you provide specific suggestions to help ensure that the demonstration phase is adequately evaluated? Answer 16. The National Science Foundation research program emphasizes the societal as well as technological aspects pertaining to the use of solar energy. It can serve as a basis for establishing evaluation criteria for the demonstrations. The final reports for the ongoing programs will be made available to you and your staff promptly upon their completion, expected to be in May of this year. SOLAR HEATING AND COOLING DEMONSTRATION ACT WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1973 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, at 9:30 a.m., the Hon. Mike McCormack (chairman of the subcommittee), presiding. Mr. McCORMACK. The meeting will come to order. This is the second day of hearings for the Subcommittee on Energy on the Solar Energy Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1973, H.R. 10952. Our first witness today will be Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology for the Department of Commerce and Dr. Peter A. Michel, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As you know, the Solar Energy Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act involves, in its concept, the National Bureau of Standards, HUD, and the Department of Defense, along with the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, from which we heard testimony yesterday. We will continue then with our testimony today from the Federal agencies which would be involved in this legislation. The first witness is Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology. Let me welcome you again before this subcommittee, and I would like you to introduce your colleagues and assistants. [A biographical sketch of Dr. Ancker-Johnson follows:] DR. BETSY ANCKER-JOHNSON Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson has been Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science and Technology since April, 1973. She is a physicist, holding a B.A. in physics from Wellesley College, and Ph. D. from Tuebingen University, Germany. After working in increasingly senior positions in two industrial research laboratories Sylvania and RCA-Dr. Ancker-Johnson joined the Boeing Scientific Research Laboratories in 1961, where for ten years she was engaged in research in solid state and plasma physics. Concurrently, from 1964, she was Affiliate Professor of Electric Engineering at the University of Washington. In 1970 she entered executive management of The Boeing Company, where one of her positions was Supervisor, Electronic Sciences, Boeing Scientific Research Laboratories, and more recently she has been Manager, Advanced Energy Systems for the Aerospace Group. As Assistant Secretary of Commerce she is responsible for six components: The National Bureau of Standards, Office of Telecommunicatons, Patent Office, National Technical Information Service, and Offices of Environmental Affairs and Product Standards. STATEMENT OF DR. BETSY ANCKER-JOHNSON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, ACCOMPANIED BY DR. JAMES HILL, NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, AND ROBERT ELLERT, ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL, OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Dr. ANCKER-JOHNSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a pleasure to be here again. I am accompanied today by Dr. James Hill of the National Bureau of Standards and Mr. Robert Ellert, assistant general counsel with the Office of Science and Technology. I am pleased to be here to testify on H.R. 10952, a bill to provide for the early commercial demonstration of solar technology for space heating and for combined space heating and cooling. President Nixon in his message of November 7, 1973, has emphasized the critical nature of our present energy crisis. To help alleviate the situation the President has proposed the establishment of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) as set out in H.R. 9090. This Agency will be charged with responsibility for exploring the potential of all energy sources. One such source is solar energy. Although the development of solar energy by itself will not solve our energy crisis, the report of the NSF/NASA Solar Energy Panel entitled "An Assessment of Solar Energy as a Natural Resource," estimates solar heating and cooling could contribute significantly to the Nation's energy requirements. The Panel states, and I quote: Assuming solar energy could supply an average of 80 percent of the heating and cooling requirements in 90 percent of all new houses and single-story commercial buildings, 4.5 percent or 8.4 x 1015 Btu per year of the Nation's year-2000 energy requirements may be saved. The corresponding figures for 2020 would be 8 percent and 23 x 1015 Btu per year. A more probable impact, considering the time required for a new development to achieve wide use and the greater suitability and economy of the system when used in new rather than old buildings, is 10 percent of new buildings constructed in 1985, 50 percent in 2000, and 85 percent in 2020. As percentages of total build ings, these figures become approximately 1 percent, 12 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Corresponding energy savings are 0.12, 2.1, and 10.5 x 10 Btu per year. These savings are to be compared to expected demands in 1985, 2000, and 2020 of 115, 185, and 280 × 1015 Btu per year. Although the savings estimated by the Panel are small, they are not negligible. The Federal Council on Science and Technology convened a committee on energy research and development goals approximately 2 years ago to recommend research and development programs to be undertaken in the near future. The committee panel addressing solar energy released their report last December. It concluded that there are no technical barriers to wide application of solar energy and that there are no significant environmental disadvantages to its use. After concluding that a solar R. & D. program should provide for simultaneous effort in three different areas, these are heating and cool 1 Staff of Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, 93d Cong., 1st sess., Report on Understanding the National Energy Dilemma (fold out "P"), Committee print, 1973. ing of buildings; converting organic materials to fuels and generation of electricity, the Panel found, and I quote again: There is no doubt that among all the possible uses for solar energy, residential heating and cooling has the highest probability of success. The Overview Panel of Project Independence, appointed by AEC Chairman Ray on which I serve, has also recommended that significant funds be devoted over the next 5 years to solar heating and cooling of buildings. The exact amount of funds is, of course, yet to be decided, as is the form of the program that will be pursued. In your letter to me, Mr. Chairman, you asked how the Department of Commerce might carry out the overall management of the program set out in H.R. 10952 if it were given the lead responsibility. While NBS certainly has particular capabilities to carry out the functions set out in H.R. 10952, the appropriate agency to undertake development and demonstration would be the Energy Research and Development Administration, as I stated earlier. Accordingly we support the administration's proposal to establish this agency as contained in H.R. 9090 which was reemphasized in President Nixon's energy message of November 7. My testimony will cover the following points: First, status of the effort to exploit solar energy in space heating and cooling. Second, research and engineering activities carried out by the National Bureau of Standards in energy conservation in buildings. Third, necessary steps to achieve commercial solar energy heating and cooling systems. Let me turn now to the first topic. Approximately 30 experimental solar heating systems have been constructed in homes and laboratories during the past 25 years. A half dozen or more are still in use. One-half of the 30 were residential, the other half were laboratories and small office buildings. Eighteen to 20 of the 30 were erected within the continental United States. Characteristically these structures have been single prototypes developed by individuals who did not have the necessary multidisciplinary technical scope or sufficient funds to optimize their systems or to build additional ones. Thanks to the efforts of these early investigators solar energy heating systems have advanced to the stage where they are poised for commercial development. Although the design and configurations of the solar energy systems for space conditioning are diverse, they can be broken down into three major subsystems; the collector, the working fluid plus thermal storage, and the heating or refrigerating device. I would like to review the state of the art as it pertains to the three major subsystems. First, what is the situation with respect to solar collectors? Early experiments have established several important facts about collectors. A stationary collector should be sited so that it faces the equator with an elevation 15 degrees greater than the latitude and have one or more cover plates. No attempt should be made to eliminate the need for an auxiliary heating system because otherwise gross overdesign may be required with attendant unjustifiable capital expense. It is important that the auxiliary concept be followed if solar energy for heating and cooling is to experience wide usage throughout the entire country. Collectors fall into two categories, flat plate and focused, with each 27-370 O-74-6 |