Why Did Reagan Remove Solar Panels From White House

This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency.

Why did reagan remove solar panels from 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. George charles szego the engineer who persuaded carter to install the solar panels reportedly claimed that reagan s chief of staff donald t. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. In 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria.

On june 20 1979 the carter administration installed 32 panels designed to harvest the sun s rays and use them to heat water. In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house. Solar photovoltaic panels and water heaters are installed on the building s roof. The average solar panel from the era produces approximately 1 05 kwh of energy every day.

365 days a year 24 year that s 294 336 kwh of dirty energy bought and burned because of one bad decision by ronald reagan. The white house itself once harvested the power of the sun. Regan felt that the equipment was just a joke and he had it taken down the panels were removed in 1986 when work was being done on the white house roof below the panels. The panels were used to heat water for the first family and for water in the white house laundry and 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. Multiply by reagan s 32 solar panels and you get 33 6 kwh of clean energy every day for free. 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.