When were the White House solar panels removed and did Obama install any during 2009–2017?

1. How the Carter panels vanished — a simple timeline that matters

The White House first hosted a solar installation when President Jimmy Carter put up 32 solar‑thermal panels in 1979; these were removed in 1986 when the roof was resurfaced during the Reagan administration. Multiple historical accounts and museum records note that the Carter system was taken down at that time; the removal is presented in historical summaries as a roofing and maintenance decision rather than a single ideological act, though later narratives sometimes emphasize Reagan’s role in ending the visible Carter era panels ^{[2] [4]}. The key fact: the Carter panels were not present on the White House roof after 1986.

2. Obama’s administration returned solar to the residence — dates and scope

Planning for a modern solar‑electric system at the White House began early in the Obama presidency, and the panels were installed on the residence roof in 2013. Contemporary reporting and compiled histories describe the project as part of a broader federal push for energy efficiency and renewables, and identify the 2013 installation as the first time the residence roof itself hosted photovoltaic panels under Obama ^{[3] [5]}. The system installed in 2013 is the salient confirmation that the Obama years did include a White House solar installation, distinct from earlier and smaller systems sited elsewhere on the grounds.

3. Conflicting accounts and small details — where confusion comes from

Some summaries assert that no Obama‑era panels were installed, and note smaller solar installations on White House grounds or maintenance buildings in other years (e.g., National Park Service work in 2002). These points are accurate but can be misleading when conflated: small, non‑residence panels on grounds do not negate the 2013 residence installation. Variations in reporting reflect differences in focus (historic Carter panels, grounds installations, or the residence roof) and occasional shorthand statements that omit the 2013 project planning and completion timeline ^{[6] [7] [8]}.

4. What primary sources and recent summaries agree on — cross‑checking the record

Authoritative recountings compiled by historical associations, museum records, encyclopedic summaries, and contemporary news reporting converge on the same two anchor facts: Carter’s 1979 system was removed in 1986, and a new residence roof installation occurred in 2013 under Obama’s administration. These multiple sources corroborate the timeline and distinguish between the Carter solar‑thermal array and Obama’s photovoltaic system, and they document planning milestones around 2010 followed by the 2013 installation ^{[2] [3] [4]}.

5. Why the nuance matters — policy, symbolism, and public claims

The presence or absence of panels on the White House roof carries symbolic weight beyond their electricity generation. Carter’s 1979 panels were a highly visible symbol of energy policy and conservation; their 1986 removal has been reframed politically in some narratives. Obama’s 2013 installation, by contrast, was one element in a broader federal sustainability agenda and less visually dramatic but technically significant as a photovoltaic system on the residence roof. Accurate discussion therefore requires distinguishing which panels, where, and when, because conflating grounds, maintenance, and residence installations produces the contradictory claims seen in summaries ^{[2] [4]}.