White House moves to solar power

Residents of the White House and others who frequent the iconic building will soon be making use of energy collected from the sun, as a solar-panel rooftop system and a solar water heater will be installed by spring, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The announcement marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s executive order on Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance, which called on the U.S. government to lead the way to a clean-energy economy.

Solar power has been utilized at the White House before. President Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof before they were removed during the Reagan administration, and President George W. Bush used solar energy to heat the pool and a maintenance building on White House property.