Why did president Bush, jr. take Jimmy Carter's solar panels off the top of the white house?

Question

Every president that has ever been in office has left something in the white house for future presidents to use or keep in the white house. Why did Bush jr. take the solar panels that ecologically-green Jimmy Carter left on the white house? I think this shows just how stubbornly convservative and close-minded Bush is.

And also, why didn't he replace them?

Answer 1

Solar White House
In 1977, Jimmy Carter had solar panel installed on the roof of the West Wing, on top of the Cabinet Room. These were removed in the Reagan era because of leakage problems, but around 2002 were reinstalled by the second Bush administration, along with new solar collector systems on the Swimming Pool cabana and groundskeeping building.

Answer 2

Jimmy put them on in the 70's and George took them off in after 2000. They were up there over 30 years and probably were non functional or were not cost effective. Those things do break you know.
Correction...did homework. You are wrong wrong wrong.....Can you be open minded and apologize for your close minded uneducated stance?
White House Turns Up Heat With Solar Energy at Spa

With little fanfare, the Bush administration has installed three solar energy systems on the grounds of the White House.

It happened last August, when, over the course of three days, the White House had 167 solar energy panels placed atop a maintenance building outside the residence. On two other buildings -- an adjoining maintenance building and the president's cabana -- systems were installed that will help heat the water for, among other uses, the presidential pool and spa.

None of the solar energy systems are visible from the street -- you would have to climb to near the top of the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building to see them. The systems were designed by Solar Design Associates of Massachusetts.

The White House and the National Park Service, which oversee the projects, could not say how much power the systems are generating -- or how much money they are saving the public. But the Park Service and the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade association, agreed the projects are small.

With Washington's climate and the pitch of the building roofs considered less than ideal, the output of any system would be limited, said one of the project's managers.

"I think the symbolic nature of this exceeds the actual kilowatts produced," said SEIA spokesman Michael Paranzino.

That was probably the case during the energy crisis of the 1970s, when President Jimmy Carter donned a sweater, turned down his thermostat -- and had a solar-powered water system installed. It was later removed by President Ronald Reagan, who shipped the panels off to Unity College in Maine, where they still heat the water for the school's cafeteria.

But if the new systems are primarily symbolic, no one, it seems, has told the White House. President Bush, who uses solar power on his ranch in Texas, has yet to trumpet the little-noticed panels, as evidence, perhaps, of his support for renewable energy.

A spokeswoman for the White House said the administration considered the changes an internal matter that it did not need to publicize.

Written By: Brian Faler, Special to The Washington Post, Monday, February 3, 2003; Page A21

Answer 3

Massive Mann has the true answer rather than a bunch of political garbage. The roof leaked, Reagan took them down, GW has made the White House greener than any president in history just as his Crawford ranch is green. Sorry to inflict evil facts upon you.

Answer 4

I think that was Ronnie Reagan, who removed them. Many on this site hate Jimmy Carter so much that if he said the Earth was round they would claim it was flat, or at least if Rush said it was flat and they believe it, or it was round and then Clinton let the air out and now it's flat and all his fault.

Cheffy....the Gore mansion story is exactly that a story, I have built many 12,000 plus sq ft houses and the reported energy use of his is way off the mark, unless he has a ,stamping mill and metal forging plant in his back room. By that stroy he would be pull 106 amps at 240V 24/7......that is a bit much. if it 208 3 phase that would be 70+ per phase 24/7

Answer 5

PRESIDENT George W. Bush DID NOT remove
Jimmy Carter's solar panels, they were removed during PRESIDENT Reagan's administration because they were old and leaking. PRESIDENT
Bush has installed new Solar Panels during his first term of office. http://www.whitehousesolarpanels.gov
http://www.solardesign.com/pdf/SolarToday-WhiteHouse.pdf

Answer 6

Lillian,

The really scary thing is this clown will be allowed to vote, breed, and maybe even drive a car, run for office, buy a gun.

But based on his exposing his true intelligence, misrepresentation, hate mongering, divisive, and clueless post, Carters legacy is more securely cemented.

Answer 7

Because they were useless, inefficient and disrupted the look of the building.

Solar panels built in the 70's were primitive and huge only altering power consumption a tiny fraction. even if the entire roof was covered it probably only provided enough energy for a hall way closet.

They were also large and unattractive, considering the historic value of the white house, slapping giant black panels on it is not very attractive.

Answer 8

they may be antiquaited im sure he will put up new ones just to show american solidaritey and respect for jimmy carters vision on energy .or maybe he was trying to stimulate the economy by creating work for some illegal aliens since the housing market has been devistated lets be positive here

Answer 9

It was Reagan who took Carter's panels off the top of the White House. Reagan said he believed in letting the market decide on energy issues. But, like all Republicans, he was doing what's best for the oil companies.

We should have been working on conservation for decades now, and on the next big energy source. Instead, politicians are delaying as long as they can, until it's a real crisis. Then they will claim credit for solving the crisis. In the meanwhile we'll have runaway inflation from gas prices doubling and doubling again.

Answer 10

Just shows how brainwashed some people are about "conservatives."

Compare George W. Bush's modest and very GREEN sustainable ranch house in Crawford, TX to Al Gore's electricity sucking mansion.

Crawford Ranch:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/is_george_bush.php

Al Gore:

http://wizbangblog.com/content/2007/02/26/al-gores-own-inconvenient-trut.php


More bashing, please!