Reagan Takes Solar Panels Down

That also meant no solar panels.

Reagan takes solar panels down.

Seven years after the west wing roof party in 1986 the symbolic solar collectors met with roof repairs and they were never re installed. And it would take producing roughly a square meter of photovoltaic panels or the mirrors for a solar thermal system every few seconds for the next 40 years to harvest one terawatt of energy from. In 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria. In 1986 ronald reagan removed the solar panels installed by jimmy carter from the white house.

It was clear reagan had a completely different take on energy consumption. Dirck halstead getty images. 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. President ronald reagan took office in 1981 and the solar panels were removed during his administration.

While jimmy carter was in office the federal energy. In perverse fashion dr. Ronald reagan helped tear down the berlin wall and he also helped tear down the white house s solar panels. Reagan s political philosophy viewed the free market as the best arbiter of what was good for the country.

Reagan was quoted as saying the panels were unsightly and unnecessary. The average solar panel from the era produces approximately 1 05 kwh of energy every day. Author natalie goldstein wrote in global warming. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse.

Solar panels finally back on the white house almost 30 years after reagan removed them new 50 comments by nathan ingraham may 9 2014 1 50pm edt. This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency. They were taken down for. Dixy lee ray the chair of the atomic energy commission and author of the nation s energy future took the subpanel seriously and made sure photovoltaics received but a pittance fulfilling her prophecy that solar would remain in her words like a flea on the behind of an elephant in america s energy mix.

In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house.