Jimmy Carter And The White House Solar Panels

President Jimmy Carter with solar panels that were installed
on the White House roof (at least for awhile) starting
in June 1979.

Former President Jimmy Carter's recent announcement that he was entering hospice care at the age of 98 has resulted in a deluge of news stories remembering his presidency and his life. '

One story that piqued my interest was when Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof. On June 20, 1979, the 32 panels were unveiled on the roof for the Washington press corp. 

Of course, those solar panels weren't nearly as spiffy and efficient as the ones on countless American roofs today. But they served a purpose, if only a symbolic one. They were essentially hot water heaters for the White House. 

When he had the solar panels installed, I don't think Carter was thinking much about climate change when he had the White House solar panels installed. Scientists knew of the danger back then, but it wasn't a Thing yet. At least not in the public discourse. 

Instead, Carter was thinking much more of our dependence on foreign oil.

In 1973 and 1979, severe gas shortages afflicted the United States, resulting in seriously spiking prices and long, long lines at gas stations. 

The first crisis, in 1973 was spurred by Arab oil exporters, pissed off at America supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War, imposed an embargo on the United States. In 1979, Iran outside the Shah, causing their exports to crash and OPEC raised prices, creating the second crisis of gas in America.

Carter figured, correctly, if the United States could make more of our energy needs homegrown, we wouldn't have to worry so much about OPEC, wars, and other geopolitical stupidity. 

Now we know much more about fossil fuel and how it causes climate change. But Carter's argument still applies, whether or not you think climate change is a Big Deal. 

As Yale Climate Connections tells us:

"Self-conscious about his idealism, or perhaps just realistic, the president gave voice to his doubts about the panels: '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 ever undertaken by the American people.'"

Carter was kind of right in both ways. 

In one respect, the White House solar panels were a blip in history, quickly forgotten. They lasted a little more than halfway into the Reagan administration. 

Yale Climate Connections again:

"Seven years after the West Wing roof party, in 1986, the symbolic solar collectors met with 'roof repairs,' and they were never reinstalled. They were put in a warehouse in Virginia and forgotten. There must have been a little hue and cry at the time - enough to force a statement from the White House media shop."

Reagan's press office said it was too costly to re-install the panels after the roof repair. Anonymous sources felt like the "equipment was just a joke," reported the Washington Post at the time.

As usual with the workings of Washington, we don't know which is true. 

The good thing is, during the Obama administration, new solar panels were installed on the White House roof. The subsequent president, Donald Trump, who was and is hostile to clean energy, but the solar panels remained on the roof. Maybe nobody told him the solar panels were there?

So far, President Joe Biden, who is demonstrably concerned about climate change, seems perfectly content on leaving the solar panels where they are.