White House to Install Solar Panels. Again.

The White House did have energy saving solar panels installed. It was 1979 and Jimmy Carter was then President of the United States. Jimmy Carter was also a visionary about clean energy. Said Carter at the time, “A generation from now this solar heat can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.” The U.S. government could have been a role model leader had those panels remained on the White House.

They did not, however. President Regan had them removed. The panels were removed because of a leak, which is fair enough. However, perhaps rather than remove them, the move would have been to fix the leak. Or to simply then install solar panels that did not have a leak. That would have had a trickle down impact (and the eighties babies get the reference!)

Bush Number Two did reinstall solar panels though! On a maintenance building and to heat a pool. Priorities, people. Priorities.

Now, however, the White House is reinstalling solar panels on the West Wing to provide electricity and hot water. The installment will be done by Spring of 2011, which we suppose is just about when campaigning for the next presidential election will get ugly and opponents of the incumbent will point to the “wasteful” spending on the installation of the photovoltaic array.

Said White House Council on Environmental Quality chair Nancy Sutley, “President Obama has said the Federal Government has to lead by example in creating opportunity and jobs in clean energy. By installing solar panels on arguably the most famous house in the country, his residence, the President is underscoring that commitment to lead and the promise and importance of renewable energy in the United States.”

As did Carter, and he was a one-termer. Here’s hoping a superstitious precedent of “install solar panels and don’t get elected to a second term” isn’t in the works here