§ 262j — Use Of Renewable Resources For Energy Production

(a) The United States Government, in connection with its voice and vote in the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Asian Development Bank, shall encourage such institutions— (1) to promote the decentralized production of renewable energy; (2) to identify renewable resources to produce energy in rural development projects and determine the feasibility of substituting them for systems using fossil fuel; (3) to train personnel in developing technologies for getting energy from renewable resources; (4) to support research into the use of renewable resources, including hydropower, biomass, solar photovoltaic, and solar thermal; (5) to support an information network to make available to policymakers the full range of energy choices; (6) to broaden their energy planning, analyses, and assessments to include consideration of the supply of, demand for, and possible uses of renewable resources; and (7) to coordinate with the Agency for International Development and other aid organizations in supporting effective rural energy programs. (b) For purposes of this section, the term “renewable resource” means any energy resource which— (1) meets the needs of rural communities; (2) saves capital without wasting labor; (3) is modest in scale and simple to install and maintain and which can be managed by local individuals; (4) is acceptable and affordable; and (5) does not damage the environment.