The measure (H.R. 3585) would provide a "roadmap" for solar research and development efforts at the Department of Energy. The House passed it 310-106.

The bill would require DOE to create a coordinated plan for encouraging technologies including solar power, solar manufacturing, solar heating and cooling, and integration of solar technologies into buildings.

DOE would appoint a so-called Solar Technology Roadmap Committee, made up of representatives from the industry, academia and federal and state agencies, who would be tasked with directing federal funding for solar research and development.

Within 18 months of enactment, this panel would be required to complete a plan for solar R&D investment in the short, medium and long term. The plan would govern at least 30% of DOE's solar R&D funding in 2012, a share that would increase to 75% in 2015.

The bill would authorize $350 million for DOE to carry out that plan in fiscal 2011, increasing to $550 million in fiscal 2015.

"More solar technology means better energy security, more homegrown energy, and lower greenhouse gas emissions," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a statement following the vote. "It returns the United States to the forefront of cutting-edge research and places the next generation of American workers on the frontlines of a clean energy future."

Solar Energy Industries Association president Rhone Resch said that the bill "will help continue technological innovations and breakthroughs in the solar industry, driving down costs even further."

--Jean Chemnick, jean_chemnick@platts.com