Reagan White House Solar Panels

The panels were removed during the reagan administration when repair and reconstruction of the damaged roof of the white house took place.

Reagan white house solar panels.

This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the reagan presidency. The 32 panels were ripped out in 1986 as yes you guessed right. Reagan saw the solar panels installed by carter for what they were a public relations stunt and ordered them dismantled. To understand what happened we have to go back to the reagan administration.

In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house. The reagan administration weren t fans of solar. Five years later president reagan inexplicably had the free clean energy sources removed. And in 1986 the reagan administration quietly dismantled the white house solar panel installation while resurfacing the roof.

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. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. 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. In 1986 ronald reagan removed the solar panels installed by jimmy carter from the white house.

George charles szego the engineer who persuaded carter to install the solar panels reportedly claimed that reagan s chief of staff donald t. In 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria. Here is a video we created on the issue. The solar panels installed by the carter administration actually did a significant amount of damage to the roof of the white house.

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 white house did not have solar panels in 2000. That system is working.