Solar Energy Industries Association Statement on Return of Cost-saving Solar Energy to the White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA®), released the following statement about today’s announcement that the Obama Administration plans to install photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House:

“Putting solar on the roof of the nation’s most important home is a powerful symbol calling on all Americans to rethink how we create energy. It’s an example of how each one of us can improve energy security, employ Americans and cut energy costs. I can speak from personal experience that taxpayers will benefit. In the four years since I’ve had solar on my house, I’ve gotten a better return on my solar system than on my 401(k).

SEIA® has been working with the Obama Administration to install money-saving solar energy on government buildings across the country.

“Earlier this year, in a meeting with President Obama in the Rose Garden, I had the opportunity to point out to the President the large amount of available roof space on top of the White House, baking in the sun,” Resch notes about his direct appeal to President Obama to put solar back on the White House at an Earth Day ceremony in April. This appeal has been echoed by thousands of Americans across the country.

The Obama family joins the Resch family and hundreds of thousands of Americans who have already gone solar, including dozens of members of Congress, former presidential advisors like Reagan Secretary of State George Shulz and former CIA director James Woolsey.

“Right now, solar energy is being manufactured in the United States. It is being installed on tens of thousands of homes each year across the nation in all 50 states. And it is creating jobs for hundreds of thousands of Americans. Obama’s decision to install solar on the White House is a prominent example of how solar is working for America today.”

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Solar Energy Industries Association Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA is working tobuild a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. www.seia.org .

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