White House Going Green With 2011 Solar Power Plan

Barack Obama initially promised to support and fund numerous techie projects, and now the President appears ready to publicly lead by example. With mounting pressure from green activists, White House officials are reportedly intending to install solar panels atop the President's residence next spring. According to the Associated Press, the White House solar panels will power unspecified areas, and will actually heat the Obamas' water.

The plan has been under consideration since 2008, at least according to government sources, but, even if the green project is only a mid-term publicity move, the White House's transition to panels should at least help solidify solar power as a viable and legitimate option.

In an interesting and somewhat implausible bit of trivia, Obama's solar project places him in a most unlikely trio of presidents. Jimmy Carter apparently installed a White House solar power water-heating system, and George W. Bush utilized panels to heat the White House pool and power various rooms and buildings. Although it would certainly help quell the rising hatred between U.S. political factions, the odds on those three getting together for a solar panel publicity party seem highly unlikely.

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