The Renewable Energy Resources Act of 1980 or Renewable Energy Initiatives (REI) is legislation passed by the 96th U.S. Congress to incentivize the use of

renewable energy resources Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. It was enacted with five other acts by the

Energy Security Act The Energy Security Act was signed into law by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on June 30, 1980. It consisted of six major acts: * U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation Act * Biomass Energy and Alcohol Fuels Act * Renewable Energy Resources Act * Sol ...

of 1980. It sought to do this by mean of the following: * Establish incentives for renewable energy resource use, * To improve and coordinate the dissemination of information to the public with respect to renewable energy resources, * To encourage the use of certain cost effective solar energy systems and conservation measures by the Federal Government, * To establish a program for the promotion of local energy self-sufficiency, * To broaden the existing program for accelerating the procurement and use of

photovoltaic systems A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...

, and * To provide further encourage for the development of small hydroelectric power projects.

Definition of renewable energy resources

"Renewable energy resource" in the REI legislation is any energy resource which has recently originated in the sun, including direct and indirect solar radiation and intermediate solar energy forms such as wind, ocean thermal gradients, ocean currents and waves,

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...

energy, products of

photosynthetic Photosynthesis ( ) is a Biological system, system of biological processes by which Photoautotrophism, photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical ener ...

processes, organic wastes, and others.S.932 - 96th Congress (1979-1980): Energy Security Act , Congress.gov , Library of Congress

References

Renewable energy in the United States Energy policy of the United States Energy security Energy policy in North America 96th United States Congress United States federal energy legislation