Bush Administration to Unveil Solar Energy Effort

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Bush administration is unveiling a plan to work with private companies to expand the use of solar energy, the White House said on Wednesday.

U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman was set to announce a $170 million effort over three years, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

"As part of the president’s Solar America Initiative, one of the ideas is to try to make the cost of solar energy systems — to make them competitive with conventional sources by 2015," Snow told a news briefing.