Washington, D.C., may rank No. 29 in the nation for solar capacity, but it will soon be home to the most popular installation – the First Array, one might say. The White House is getting solar panels this week, according to The Washington Post.
President Jimmy Carter speaks in front of a solar hot system at the White House.
Of course, solar advocates have been waiting on this for some time. We reported in 2010 that the Obama administration promised panels. Ever since, progressive groups such as 350.org have been harping for follow-through.
While the size of the array is still unknown, as well as its suppliers, Solar Power World would be happy to report both. Please contact us if you know.
The administration plans to install the array on the residence, a highly public display and testament to the increasing popularity of solar energy. A White House official told The Post the array is “a part of an energy retrofit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building.”
It will be the second solar installation since Jimmy Carter first captured sun energy by adding a solar hot water array in 1979. In 2002, the George W. Bush administration added 167 panels on a maintenance building, powering White House operations.
All solar installations are welcomed by this industry, of course. But one on such a notable piece of property … priceless PR!
To see the energy an array could bring to the White House, check out this simulation.
We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available. Below, a video of President Obama talking about solar energy in 2010:
The modules are assembled in the USA by NaiTer (a CdTe thin film product that is relatively new to the market at 300W); the array is 310kW; the racking was supplied by ThruRACK out of El Paso, TX., and the PV inverters are SolPnah 25’s (25kW string inverters made by SolTran out of MD). All of this has been disclosed on: http://www.whouse.gov because it is public domain.
I wish we had more details on this. I know the models will be American made, but which company produced them. Who is the installation company? What’s the total cost and total capacity? I don’t know why the White House is being so guarded with a project we, the taxpayer, have paid for.
It will not be Solyndra supplying the panels….