XVII. Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D)

Many of the parties to this proceeding observe that solar technologies are not yet cost-effective. We share this concern and adopt the CSI with the objective of supporting the development of an industry that can compete with more conventional technologies and that is robust without government subsidies. We have not addressed here a specific strategy to effect that objective but intend to pursue it in the near future. Accordingly, we intend to allocate up to 5% of each year's adopted budget to RD&D that explores solar technologies and other distributed generation technologies that employ or could employ solar for power generation and storage or to offset natural gas usage, as well as market development strategies. We will direct our staff to work collaboratively with the CEC to manage this effort using consultants and existing research institutions while maximizing existing RD&D efforts.