By Nikki Chandler, Intelligent Energy Portal
(October 5, 2010)
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Chair Nancy Sutley today announced plans to install solar panels and a solar
hot water heater on the roof of the White House Residence. These two solar
installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project
showing that American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready
for installation in homes throughout the country. Secretary Chu and Chair
Sutley made the announcement during CEQ's 2010 GreenGov Symposium, which is
bringing together leaders from federal, state and local governments,
nonprofit and academic communities and the private sector to identify
opportunities around greening the federal government.
"President Obama has said the federal government has to lead by example
in creating opportunity and jobs in clean energy," said Nancy Sutley, Chair
of the
White House Council on Environmental Quality.
"By installing solar panels on arguably the most famous house in the
country, his residence, the President is underscoring that commitment to
lead and the promise and importance of renewable energy in the United
States."
The PV system will convert sunlight directly to electricity. The solar
hot water heater will have a solar collector facing the sun that will heat
water for use in the White House Residence. The Department of Energy will
now begin a competitive procurement process to select the company
responsible for the installations.
By installing solar panels on their homes, consumers are able to
effectively lock in the price of electricity they will pay in the years
ahead, acting as an insulator against future rises in electricity prices
since the systems installed in homes today are expected to last
approximately thirty years. Financial incentives are also available to
offset the initial costs of installing solar energy systems, including a 30
percent federal tax credit and additional state, local, and utility
incentive programs to encourage the deployment of renewable energy. The
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency has
additional information about state, local and utility rebates for solar
generation throughout the country.
This announcement is made on the one-year anniversary of President
Obama's Executive Order 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and
Economic Performance, which called on the federal government to lead by
example toward a clean energy economy and reduce, measure and report direct
and indirect greenhouse gas pollution. In support of this goal, the
Department of Energy also released "Procuring Solar Energy: A Guide for
Federal Facility Decision Makers" to support the use of solar energy
throughout the federal government.
Milholland Electric is a licensed electrical contractor in Arizona
and California with an experienced team in solar panel design and solar
panel installation and maintenance. Contact us for a
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