It’s official. After twenty four years, solar panels will once again be installed on top of the White House. What better example can a President set to guide the country to a more sustainable path than to put employ solar power on his own home? For the last year, many environmental organizations and companies have banded together to encourage President Obama to install a new set of solar panels on the White House, and finally their efforts are successful!

“Putting solar on the roof of the nation’s most important home is a powerful symbol calling on all Americans to rethink how we create energy,” said Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “It’s an example of how each one of us can improve energy security, employ Americans and cut energy costs.”

Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, made the announcement yesterday which led to a flurry of enthusiasm from environmental organizations. The plans are to install a solar thermal and solar electric (photovoltaic) system on the White House living quarters. The White House said these efforts are to show the American people that solar power is reliable, accessible, and ready to be installed. Department of Energy will be taking bids through a competitive procurement process.

Jimmy Carter became the first President to install solar panels on the White House in the midst of the second oil crisis in the late seventies. The first group of panels installed just above the Oval Office was solar thermal in nature and exclusively used to heat water in the White House staff kitchen. Carter’s forward-looking perspective on renewables created the first wave of innovation and research on solar technology in the United States. Just seven years later, Ronald Reagan had the panels removed. He never ordered that they be reinstalled and squelched many of the solar programs that Carter put in place. Some people believe that Reagan had purposefully not re-installed the solar panels to advance his own political agenda.

This is a big win for the renewable energy industry! It is one thing to get verbal support from the White House on sustainable initiatives, but it’s an even bigger feat when the White House actually deploys these technologies in-house. Thank you, President Obama!

If you would like to do your part in support of sustainability, you should see if solar power makes sense for your home. It can save you money and create a cleaner world for you and your family. For more information on a complimentary, no obligation solar evaluation in Massachusetts or Connecticut, please contact Brightstar Solar to schedule an appointment.