In June 1997, President Clinton launched his Million Solar Roofs Initiative. The broad programme objectives are to reduce America's reliance on fossil fuels and dramatically accelerate the commercialization of solar technologies by encouraging businesses and communities to install PV and solar water heaters on 1 million roods by 2010. It is expected that this will create some 70 000 new jobs and help keep the US solar energy industry competitive.

Unlike Japan's 70 000 rooftop project, which is part of a big-budget, government driven PV and alternative energy programme, the US initiative is very much market driven. It is anticipated that USD 5 million will be approved under the initiative for 1999 for business ventures that expand the commercial use of PV, but the key to success for the US programme is to help potential customers access existing low-cost loans, grants and other financial assistance measures, and to form partnerships, which will help remove the market barriers to solar technologies. Commitments from local communities, businesses, state government and utilities to install PV will synthesise a bulk demand for the technology, so driving system and unity energy costs down.

In January this year, Vice President, Al Gore, proposed that a tax credit equal to 15% of the cost of a rooftop solar system - up to USD 2 000 for a PV system - be made available to homeowners and businesses to enable them to adopt the technologies. Unfortunately, as it is proposed, the credit would only apply to PV systems installed between 1999 and 2005. The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEAI) has called for the incentive to be made available immediately as there has been a market downturn in sales recently as consumers wait for the tax break to become available.

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