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The Solar Energy Research Institute is a national laboratory funded by the Department of Energy (DoE) but managed by the Midwest Research Institute. Created by Congress in 1974 (three years before the creation of DoE), but not funded until 1977, SERI started out by taking a conservative view of solar potential. It has been plagued by a confusion of authority with DoE. SERI managers and investigators have attempted to maintain independence from DoE. But the expectation at DoE has been that SERI fulfills the role of a contractor carrying out whatever services DoE requires. Since DoE under Secretary Schlesinger could not be described as a solar booster, it is not altogether surprising that SERI has not been playing a more important role in solar research and development.