SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Solar Fuels Innovation 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SOLAR FUELS BASIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Section 973 of the Energy Policy 
Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16313) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘SEC. 973. SOLAR FUELS BASIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 
‘‘(a) INITIATIVE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a research initiative, to be known as the Solar 
Fuels Basic Research Initiative, to expand theo-
retical and fundamental knowledge of photo-
chemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, and mate-
rials science useful for the practical development of 
experimental systems to convert solar energy to 
chemical energy. 
‘‘(2) LEVERAGING.—The Secretary shall lever-
age expertise and resources from the Basic Energy 
Sciences Program and Biological and Environmental 
Research Program within the Office of Science, and 
the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable En-
ergy, as provided under subsections (b) and (c). 
‘‘(3) TEAMS.—The Secretary shall organize ac-
tivities under the Solar Fuels Basic Research Initia-
tive to include multidisciplinary teams leveraging ex-
pertise from the National Laboratories, universities, 
and the private sector to the extent practicable. 
These multidisciplinary teams shall pursue aggres-
sive, milestone-driven basic research goals. The Sec-
retary shall provide sufficient resources for those 
teams to achieve those goals over a period of time 
to be determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 
is authorized to organize additional activities under 
this subsection through Energy Frontier Research 
Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organiza-
tional structures. 
‘‘(b) ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, as 
part of the Solar Fuels Basic Research Initiative, 
carry out a program to support research needed to 
bridge scientific barriers and discover knowledge rel-
evant to artificial photosynthetic systems. In car-
rying out activities under this subsection, the Direc-
tor of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall sup-
port basic research to pursue distinct lines of sci-
entific inquiry, including photoinduced production of 
hydrogen and oxygen from water, and the sustain-
able photoinduced reduction of carbon dioxide to fuel 
products including hydrocarbons, alcohols, carbon
monoxide, and natural gas. The Assistant Secretary 
for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall 
support translational research, development, and val-
idation of physical concepts developed under this 
subsection. 
‘‘(2) STANDARD
OF
REVIEW.—The Secretary 
shall review the program activities under this sub-
section to determine the achievement of technical 
milestones. 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION.—Subject to sub-
section (d), there are authorized for carrying 
out activities under this subsection for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2020— 
‘‘(i) $50,000,000 from funds within 
the Basic Energy Sciences Program ac-
count; and 
‘‘(ii) $25,000,000 from funds within 
the Energy Efficiency and Renewable En-
ergy account. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—No funds authorized 
under this subsection may be obligated or ex-
pended for commercial application of energy 
technology.
‘‘(c) BIOCHEMISTRY, REPLICATION
OF NATURAL 
PHOTOSYNTHESIS, AND RELATED PROCESSES.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, as 
part of the Solar Fuels Basic Research Initiative, 
carry out a program to support research needed to 
replicate natural photosynthetic processes by use of 
artificial photosynthetic components and materials. 
In carrying out activities under this subsection, the 
Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall 
support basic research to expand fundamental 
knowledge to replicate natural synthesis processes, 
including the photoinduced reduction of dinitrogen 
to ammonia, absorption of carbon dioxide from am-
bient air, molecular-based charge separation and 
storage, photoinitiated electron transfer, and catal-
ysis in biological or biomimetic systems. The Asso-
ciate Director of Biological and Environmental Re-
search shall support systems biology and genomics 
approaches to understand genetic and physiological 
pathways connected to photosynthetic mechanisms. 
The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy shall support translational re-
search, development, and validation of physical con-
cepts developed under this subsection.
‘‘(2) STANDARD
OF
REVIEW.—The Secretary 
shall review the program activities under this sub-
section to determine the achievement of technical 
milestones. 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION.—Subject to sub-
section (d), there are authorized for carrying 
out activities under this subsection for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2020— 
‘‘(i) $50,000,000 from funds within 
the Basic Energy Sciences Program and 
Biological and Environmental Research 
Program accounts; and 
‘‘(ii) $25,000,000 from funds within 
the Energy Efficiency and Renewable En-
ergy account. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—No funds authorized 
under this subsection may be obligated or ex-
pended for commercial application of energy 
technology. 
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—No additional funds are authorized 
to be appropriated under this section. This section shall 
be carried out using funds otherwise authorized by law.’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENT.—The item 
relating to section 973 in the table of contents of such 
Act is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 973. Solar Fuels Basic Research Initiative.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 11, 2016. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5638 
AN ACT 
To provide for the establishment at the Department 
of Energy of a Solar Fuels Basic Research Ini-
tiative.