Ronald Reagan Solar Panels White House

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.

Ronald reagan solar panels white house.

In 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria. But in a curious parallel with the current occupant of the white house the panels weren t actually removed until 1986 five years after reagan took office. Solar panels will be installed on the white house roof a quarter of a century after they were removed by ronald reagan the obama administration said today. Reagan was quoted as saying the panels were unsightly and unnecessary.

The white house itself once harvested the power of the sun. 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. The average solar panel from the era produces approximately 1 05 kwh of energy every day. In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house.

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. In 1986 ronald reagan removed the solar panels installed by jimmy carter from the white house. Multiply by reagan s 32 solar panels and you get 33 6 kwh of clean energy every day for free. On june 20 1979 the carter administration installed 32 panels designed to harvest the sun s rays and use them to heat water.

Reagan saw the solar panels installed by carter for what they were a public relations stunt and ordered them dismantled. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency.