1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, not the one in Post Falls.

The most famouse residence in America plans to get greener with Energy Secretary Steven Chu announcing today solar panels will be installed by spring 2011 on top of the White House to heat water and provide some electricity.


From Chu: As we move towards a clean energy economy, the White House will lead by example. I am pleased to announce that by the end of this spring, there will be solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House. It's been a long time since we've had them up there. These two solar installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project. The project will show that American solar technology is available, reliable, and ready to install in homes throughout the country. Around the world, the White House is a symbol of freedom and democracy. It should also be a symbol of America's commitment to a clean energy future.

Trivia time:  Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both when solar during their days in the White House. Carter in the late 1970s spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices, only to be removed by Ronald Reagan. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, and heated water for the pool. Ha.

Bill McKibben commented, "If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world."

While Germany, China and Spain have crushed us in solar energy production due to our own domestic neglect, it's important to recognize that, buoyed by the Recovery Act, employment in the U.S. solar industry has been exploding in recent years, reaching 60,000 jobs. Just sayin'.

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