Obama Says No to Installing Solar Panels on the White House

[Nathanael]

To the disappointment of environmental activists, the Obama administration has declined to put solar panels on the White House roof.

The organization 350.org, founded by Bill McKibben, has led a campaign to have Barack Obama re-install a set of solar panels which were originally installed on the White House by Jimmy Carter in 1979. The panels are obviously outdated but, according to the campaign, would serve as a symbol of the U.S. government's commitment to a new energy future.

The movement to install solar power on the White House stretched beyond installing symbolic panels. Sungevity, a California-based solar company, has offered to install leading-edge solar panels on the White House for free.

Link: http://www.energyboom.com/solar/obama-says-no-installing-solar-panels-white-house

[pnwmom]

1. He lacks the requisite suicidal instincts. Political suidicide, I mean.

All he needs now is to get the media making yet another connection to Jimmy Carter.

:sarcasm:

[whistler162]

2. Geez.... White House says no to reinstalling outdated

equipment!


WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want them to install the old ENIAC computer!

[pnwmom]

3. And they can put in that old phone system they used during the Nixon era.

[RKP5637]

5. Plz see #4.

[Nathanael]

15. Thanks for this

I forgot to put this bit of information in the original post to DU. It has since been updated.

[RKP5637]

16. Glad it was helpful!

:hi:

[rhett o rick]

11. What's your agenda? They are going to install state of the art panels for free.

Or didnt you read the post? "Sungevity, a California-based solar company, has offered to install leading-edge solar panels on the White House for free."

[pnwmom]

19. My agenda is for Obama to get reelected in 2012. Glad he had

enough sense to realize the political ramifications.

It will be up to a Republican someday, probably, to follow in Carter's footsteps. Just as it was up to a Republican (Nixon) to take the first steps toward China.

[rhett o rick]

22. If there are political ramifications from installing solar panels on the WH, I say go for it.

I am so tired of Democrats afraid of their own shadows tip-toeing around afraid of confronting the ass-hat republicans.

Put the panels up and stand tall.

[pnwmom]

24. Yeah, who cares if Obama's reelected! As long as we all stand tall!

:sarcasm:

[rhett o rick]

26. Your sarcasm noted. At some point we have to draw the line. If we keep "compromising" our life away

we will end up with nothing.

[Skittles]

37. WTF???

exactly to WHOM is Obama pandering to now????

[Xithras]

21. Sungevity offered. The WH said no.

There will be no solar panels on the White House roof.

Of course, unlike the 1970's, there are now defensive weapon systems on the roof of the White House, which may preclude installing any solar panels anyway.

[rhett o rick]

23. I was challenging the nit-wit that was insinuating that old out of date panels were suggested to be

installed. That was a lie. I was questioning the posters agenda from the lie.

[pnwmom]

25. You're right -- that probably is another reason they won't work. n/t

[rhett o rick]

27. What wont work? nm

[pnwmom]

30. If there are defensive systems on the roof that might prevent

the location of solar panels up there, depending on what they involved, of course.

[rhett o rick]

32. Sounds like a bullshit answer to me. nm

[pnwmom]

35. Based on what? I'm sure they do have defensive systems on the

White House roof now. I also know, as do you, that solar panels have to be sited carefully. It's easy to imagine that the roof couldn't handle both systems.

[rhett o rick]

42. There are no facts available supporting that idea. It is just as easy to imagine that the roof

could handle both. As you originally professed, most likely the President doesnt want to start a political fight with the oil-republicans. I think it is a shame he wont.

[Xithras]

45. You know, I just found something interesting. The article is BS. The WH HAS solar panels.

While digging up info to post a response, I found something interesting that the articles above NEVER mention. The White House HAS solar power already...installed by Dumbya in 2002. Apparently he had 167 solar panels installed by the NPS to deliver power to the White House grounds. A second installation heats water for general usage, and a third heats water for the White House pool.

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/solarwhitehouse.htm

As for weapons: There WERE weapons systems on top of the White House, most notably a laser based blinding system meant to disorient pilots and cause them to crash. These were designed to prevent a repeat of the incident in 1994 when a pilot slammed his small plane into the White House.

Those systems were removed after 9/11, and were replaced with active anti-aircraft missile systems that are located on the roofs other surrounding buildings, and various pads around DC. There are now no weapons systems on the roof. I wasn't aware of that when I wrote my original reponse upthread.




That second shot is from 1980, and actually shows the original solar panels that were installed by Carter. You can see how little space they had for them.

[Xithras]

46. And you can see the White House PV array using Google maps.

Pull up the WH and scroll south until you see the tennis court. Just below, and slightly to the left, of the court, you can see a bluish-purple grid. That's the PV array.

If you pan up slightly to the pool, you'll also see a series of black squares just above the top edge of the pool. That's the solar heater array for the pool.

I can't find the third array for the WH water supply. It's either pretty small, obscured by something, or it's been removed since 2003.

[rhett o rick]

43. I think this is what is called a hit and run post. Posting something inflamitory and then running

away. Or called a drive by fruiting.

[RKP5637]

4. A California company Sungevity had offered to equip the White House with the latest technology.

A California company Sungevity had offered to equip the White House with the latest technology.

But the White House declined - twitchy perhaps about inviting any comparison to one-term Democratic president Carter in the run-up to the very difficult mid-term elections in November. The White House did send three staffers to meet the campaigners.

[pnwmom]

18. I am very glad they did decline.

Glad they had the political sense that so many here seem to lack.

[RKP5637]

20. Same here. Given the political climate right now it's best. n/t

[rhett o rick]

33. Yes we must be very careful not to anger the republicans. nm

[T Wolf]

6. Symbolism is only important to Obama when it can be used to prop up his corporate cred.

But for something like energy efficiency, it wouldn't be prudent.

Every damn day, this administration seems to do something that makes it harder to support.

[Schema Thing]

10. Please try to be smart about politics.

No one wins if dems lose.


There are plenty of ways to push solar both practically and symbolically w/o handing the right wing a president sized chew toy.

[rhett o rick]

12. But if Dem's start to talk and walk like repub's, EVERYONE LOSES. nm

[FedUpWithIt All]

44. Not to mention the loss of potential Dem voters who might be disgusted

with the constant political games and lack of action supporting popular campaign stance.

[Denzil_DC]

7. The White House already uses quite a lot of solar power

As discussed by NYC_SKP http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=387524&mesg_id=387634">here.

[rhett o rick]

8. The point isnt how much they use, it's that they publicly embrace it. nm

[dkf]

9. I'm sorry...we have had solar water heating for years and this is NOT solar power.

This is so disappointing. How can he talk about the new Green economy and turn down a free installation?

Who turns down free solar energy? I do not understand this at all.

[rhett o rick]

13. Doesnt want to piss off the oil companies. nm

[Denzil_DC]

14. Read the text at the link

Solar water heating is just one part of the installations, most of it is photovoltaics.

[BrklynLiberal]

17. Short term political gain ahead of long term environmental and energy gain.

[pnwmom]

31. Long term political gain, if Obama isn't prevented from getting reelected

due to a dumb decision to get the media to link him with Carter.

[rhett o rick]

34. Oh my, we must be soo careful not to upset the msm. nm

[pnwmom]

36. I don't care about "upsetting" the media. I do care about not

giving the Rethugs and the media an opportunity to rip Obama over this, when the potential gains of putting up the panels are so ridiculously trivial.

We went through it once, with Carter, who was laughed at -- not copied. Obama would also be laughed at and endlessly linked with Carter's failed Presidency.

[rhett o rick]

41. This isnt 1977. Lots of Americans understand that we need to be less dependant on oil

and would love to see the President stand up for the right thing even if the media ridicules him. We are looking for a brave leader that isnt afraid to stand up to the oil companies, the media and Republicans.

[Nihil]

47. You're never going to avoid that one ...

> Obama would also be laughed at

Obama is being laughed at now (contemptuously) for his weakness, his inability
to face up to the opposition and his willingness to bend over backwards & retreat
rather than standing tall & holding his ground.

The Republicans will ALWAYS find something to laugh at with a Democratic President
so your "care" is doomed to failure. Worse still, it encourages the endless waving
backwards & forwards, the "triangulation" and the death spiral of every policy
or decision that starts out so meaningful & positive but ends up as a flaccid,
empty & pointless gesture to "bipartisanship".

[Merlot]

28. Stupid symbolism. I don't care if there are solar panels on the WH

Bigger fish to fry, thank you.

[XemaSab]

29. Since this is a "safe" space I'll say it:

What a disappointment. :(

[JoeyT]

38. Hard to believe people are cheering this move.

Could we possibly get any more cowardly?

[Nihil]

39. Well, there's a surprise ... Obama not helping the environment ...

... oh, wait, maybe not ...
:eyes:

[Dogmudgeon]

40. I just read the thread

It will become a political football, certainly timed to obscure some much larger Democratic/Obama success.

NOBODY picked up on the fact that Sungevity is the only party that will benefit from this.

I like solar panels, too, but business is business. I can't fault them for wanting some cheap PR, but that doesn't make their gesture a critical signal of Obama's green cred or his 'publican-fighting "testicularity".

--d!