On October 5th 2010, President Obama announced that he would be installing a solar array on the White House roof in the spring of 2011. This announcement came as a triumph to many in the climate movement, who earlier in the year had written letters, sent in petitions and, along with our very own Bill Mckibben, embarked on a Solar Road Trip across the U.S. to convince the Obama administration to re-install the solar panels that were on the White House’s roof during Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The White House initially declined the offer, much to everyone’s disappointment, so Obama’s statement a month later was a welcome surprise that meant we had one less world leader to convince to Put Solar On It.
Over a year has passed since Obama’s promise, and as of yet there are no solar panels on the white house. However, according to this article in the Green Prophet, HH Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – the crown prince of the oil-rich gulf state of Abu Dhabi – has beaten Obama to the punch and installed a solar array in record-time on the roof of his court. Not only are these photovoltaics fully operational, but the electricity they produce also feed into Abu Dhabi’s national grid.
If oil-rich Abu Dhabi can symbolically commit to renewable energy, one is left to wonder why the White House cannot follow through with its promise?
