History Of Solar Panels On White House

A solar thermal application for providing hot water for the grounds maintenance staff was added to this building as well.

History of solar panels on white house.

A brief history of solar panels inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming. If so chosen they can be slaves in the service of power strategically deployed to shift opinions influence voters and change lives. A system of 167 photovoltaic panels was placed on the roof of the central maintenance building. 2011 fast growing factories in china push manufacturing costs down to about 1 25 per watt for silicon photovoltaic modules.

However in 1981 president ronald reagan ordered the white house solar panels to be removed. Installing solar panels on the white house was a purposeful choice for obama who was known for his pro renewable energy. The first solar panels were placed on the white house more than 30 years earlier by jimmy carter and removed by the very next administration. The original solar panels that were installed atop the white house during jimmy carter s presidency were kept in government storage until 1991 when unity college in maine refurbished and installed 16 of the 32 panels atop its cafeteria.

Despite the government wide commitment the credit failed to have the desired effect of increasing america s use of solar power as solar comprised a negligible amount of electricity generation. Solar powered presidencies in 1979 president jimmy carter had solar panels installed on the white house during his term as president. We explore the history of the white house solar panels 40 years after their installation and on the anniversary of jimmy carter s famous speech turning science into politics. Solar panels on the white house i think are a really important message that solar is here we are doing it and we can do a lot more said dr.

Ernest moniz former secretary of energy for the obama administration. President barack obama s decision in 2010 to install white house solar panels pleased environmentalists. But he wasn t the first president to take advantage of alternative forms of energy atop the living quarters at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. The national park service oversaw the installation of three solar energy systems on the white house grounds in 2002.

The solar panels provided unity college s cafeteria with hot water until 2005 having taken advantage of the total lifespan of the panels.