One of the accomplishments of Jimmy Carter’s presidential term was creating the Department of Energy in 1977.
Carter, who passed away in December at age 100, was a supporter of renewable energy, so much so that he had solar panels installed on the White House in 1979, shortly before he left office after losing his re-election bid to Ronald Reagan.
The story of the panels and what happened to them after Reagan had them removed in 1986 is a story that has been revisited in the days after Carter’s passing.
Skeptical Science revived the panels’ history in a piece this week while remembering Carter. According to the article, 32 panels were installed on the roof of the White House.
Seemingly envisioning future controversy surrounding the panels, Carter told the media at the time, “A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures undertaken.”
The White House panels cost $28,000 to install and were used to heat water, but they were removed during what was described as “roof repairs” and never re-installed, instead finding a home in a warehouse in Virginia.
The solar panels were gone from the White House but not forgotten. After five years in storage, Unity College in Maine picked them up to use them on campus. Panels also showed up at the Carter Library, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and at a technology museum in China.
Carter’s foray into solar panels weren’t the last ones at the White House, as a solar array was installed in 2010 during the Obama administration, where they have remained during the first Trump and then Biden’s presidencies.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facility market.
