Reagan Removes Solar Panels

The white house itself once harvested the power of the sun.

Reagan removes solar panels.

The solar panels which were. This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency. Reagan was quoted as saying the panels were unsightly and unnecessary. The head of the government s photovoltaic program dr.

Morton prince lamented the consequences of the new administration s war on solar cells. In 1986 when the price of energy was temporarily cheaper and americans minds were less focused on environmental issues president reagan ordered the panels removed from the white house roof. On june 20 1979 the carter administration installed 32 panels designed to harvest the sun s rays and use them to heat water. Author natalie goldstein wrote in global warming.

In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house. It was clear reagan had a completely different take on energy consumption. Originally panels were installed in the late 70s during. In 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria.

Under reagan funding was cut for the newly formed department of energy and in 1986 when the white house needed roof repairs under the solar thermal panels the reagan administration removed the panels and quietly decided to not reinstall them claiming it simply wasn t a cost effective option. Unsurprisingly reagan slashed the meager carter outlay for photovoltaics by two thirds. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. It would take nearly 30 years for solar panels to be reinstalled at the white house under barack obama in 2014.

Solar panels were installed in the late 1970s to provide hot water to the white house residence. I was losing all my best people prince complained. They were removed by president reagan in 1986 due to a roof leak and never replaced. Back in 2010 the obama administration announced that it would be restoring solar panels to the roof of the white house residence.