Reagan Solar Panels White House Removed

George charles szego the engineer who persuaded carter to install the solar panels reportedly claimed that reagan s chief of staff donald t.

Reagan solar panels white house removed. 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. The solar panels which were. In 1986 ronald reagan removed the solar panels installed by jimmy carter from the white house. Reagan took solar panels off the white house july 17 2017 when the reagans moved into the white house in 1981 they inherited 32 solar panels generating carbon free electricity on the west wing roof.

Reagan saw the solar panels installed by carter for what they were a public relations stunt and ordered them dismantled. In 1979 jimmy carter in a forward looking move installed solar panels in the roof of the white house. Reagan who didn t think much of solar energy also allowed the tax credit carter had instated to lapse. Reagan was quoted as saying the panels were unsightly and unnecessary.

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 1991 unity college an environmentally centered college in maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria. A larger photograph shows the size of the panels and their proximity to the rest of the white house. Five years later president reagan inexplicably had the free clean energy sources removed.

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