White House to Install Solar Panels

White House to Get Solar Panels

By spring of next year, the White House will install solar panels and photovoltaics on top of the White House living quarters to supply hot water and also some of the electricity used by the First Family.

The planning for the solar installation is still uncertain and details are vague as to how much energy use the panels will displace. The installation will include both a hot water component and a photovoltaic component which turns sunlight directly into electricity.

Various organizations and individuals, including Danny Kennedy, founder of Sungevity, have tried to convince the Obama White House to install solar.  Kennedy says he estimated that it could cost about $100,000 to install solar for the Obama residence at the White House but that the system would pay for itself within five years in energy savings.

Roof space on the White House may accommodate 25 to 75 photovoltaic panels which could produce as much as 19,700 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The water heating solar panels might save another thousand dollars annually.

Supporters of the idea say that once the White House installs solar panels, the idea may catch on across the country, just as Michelle Obama’s White House vegetable garden inspired many Americans to grow more of their own food in backyard gardens.

According to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association, he solar energy industry is the fastest growing energy source in the U.S. and is expected to double the amount of power it generates by the end of this year.

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