The Strange, Tumultuous Life of Solar Power at the White House

Solar panels on the most visible house in America send a powerful message. Not every president wants that.

Jimmy Carter shows off new solar panels on the White House roof.
President Carter gives a tour of the new solar panels installed to provide hot water for the White House in 1979. President Ronald Reagan later had them removed. (Jimmy Carter Presidential Library)

Press conferences at the White House tend to occur in predictable locations: The Briefing Room, the Rose Garden, the South Lawn. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter chose a loftier venue: the roof. He didn’t do it for the view over Washington, D.C.; he wanted to show off a brand-new array of 32 solar panels.

The solar panels installed by Carter weren’t going to change the world by themselves – they were merely going to help heat water for the White House. Their real power was as a symbol. If they’re good enough for the White House’s roof, they’re good enough for yours.

Read more: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/strange-tumultuous-life-solar-power-white-house

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