Reagan Removes Solar Panels

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

Reagan removes solar panels.

Solar panels were installed in the late 1970s to provide hot water to the white house residence. This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency. It would take nearly 30 years for solar panels to be reinstalled at the white house under barack obama in 2014. President ronald reagantook office in 1981 and the solar panels were removed during his administration.

Reagan s political philosophy viewed the free market as the best arbiter of what was good for the country. Unsurprisingly reagan slashed the meager carter outlay for photovoltaics by two thirds. Author natalie goldstein wrote in global warming. 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. They were removed by president reagan in 1986 due to a roof leak and never replaced. I was losing all my best people prince complained. Reagan was quoted as saying the panels were unsightly and unnecessary.

Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. 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. Back in 2010 the obama administration announced that it would be restoring solar panels to the roof of the white house residence. The head of the government s photovoltaic program dr.

In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house. On june 20 1979 the carter administration installed 32 panels designed to harvest the sun s rays and use them to heat water. 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.