Jimmy Carter was the first president to install solar panels on the White House, and Ronald Reagan then removed them. Here’s what happened.

• In 1979, President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House.

• Facing an energy crisis, Carter hoped to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

• President Ronald Reagan removed solar panels in 1986.

In the 1970s, the United States was plunged into an energy crisis.

In 1973, Arab countries belonging to OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) imposed an oil embargo on the United States in retaliation for Israel’s military support during the Yom Kippur War. As a result, gas prices skyrocketed and shortages caused long lines at gas stations. Although the embargo ended in 1974, it exposed the vulnerabilities of the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.

President Jimmy Carter pushed for the use of renewable energy sources to reduce pollution and America’s dependence on fossil fuels.

In response to the 1973 energy crisis, Carter created the Department of Energy in 1977. He implemented tax breaks for homeowners who installed solar panels, and in 1978 passed the National Energy Act in an effort to limit oil imports and promote energy conservation, The New York Times reported.

As part of his efforts in 1979, he installed 32 solar panels on the roof of the west wing.

In his speech, Carter emphasized the importance of “harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”

During the dedication ceremony, Carter outlined his administration’s goal of 20% renewable energy by the year 2000.

“Today, by directly harnessing the power of the sun, we are taking the energy God has given us, the most renewable energy we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels,” Carter said in his speech.

In 1980, Carter lost the general election to Ronald Reagan, who did not share his vision for renewable energy.

Reagan began to follow through on his campaign promise to eliminate the Department of Energy in 1981, but abandoned his efforts in 1985 due to insufficient support in Congress. He allowed Carter’s solar panel tax credits to expire in 1985, instead advocating for nuclear power initiatives.

He also believed in allowing free market capitalism to dictate the production and use of fossil fuels rather than government regulation, a policy known as “Reganomics”.

In 1986, Reagan had solar panels removed while repairing the White House roof.

Carter’s solar panels were removed during repairs to the White House roof and have not been reinstalled.

“It would be very unwise to put them back because of the cost,” Reagan press secretary Dale Petroskey told the Associated Press at the time, according to Yale Climate Connections.

According to the White House Historical Association, the White House remained without solar panels until 2002, when the National Park Service installed three solar energy systems that provided hot water for maintenance workers on the grounds and the White House pool.

Carter continued to advocate for renewable energy after his time in the White House.

In 2017, Carter leased 10 acres of his farmland in Plains, Georgia, to solar energy company SolAmerica Energy, according to The New York Times. The company built 3,852 solar panels, enough to provide more than half the energy for the city of 683 people.

“It’s special to me because I was so disappointed when they took the panels down from the White House, and now seeing them on the Plains is just wonderful,” former first lady Rosalynn Carter told The New York Times.

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