As one of the instruments of domestic energy policy designed to provide energy alternatives to scarce fossil fuels, Federal programs include provisions for income tax credits to encourage the use of solar energy. Because solar technology is relatively unfamiliar to most consumers, because it is supplied by a new, developing industry, and because it can represent a relatively large investment expenditure for homeowners, it is important that adoption of solar technology, particu-larly that encouraged by federal action, be accompanied by adequate protection for consumers. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requested yie Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) to undertake a project to develop and recommend alternative strategies which could provide systematic means to reduce the potential risk to consumers of encounter with fraud or incompetence in their experience with the early solar market. It was felt that even that level of risk associated with the ordinary consumer purchase of such items as housing or automobiles might be too much to tolerate if solar use is to grow rapidly. On the other hand, because an innovative and competitive industry is needed in order for the best and most reasonably priced solar products to be available, measures to reduce consumer risk must be carefully weighed for their effect on a growing industry and overly restrictive measures,;and those which increase costs, need to be avoided.
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