If 6.3 kilowatts sounds like a lot of energy, it isn't. The average home consumes 27 kilowatts of power each day. Far more than the 6.3 kilowatts that will be produced by the new solar panels adorning the White House. According to TradeWind Energy, "one 50-watt light bulb running for 20 hours will use one kilowatt-hour of electricity (50 watts x 20 hours = 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kWh)."

In other words, the White House installed enough solar panels to power six 50-watt bulbs for 20 hours each day. And if you've ever been inside the White House, or seen it from a distance, you'll notice it's lit up like a klieg light. Excerpted from Boston.com:

Citing security and other concerns, the White House won’t say how many panels now encase the top of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or how much they cost. But the panels are expected to generate 6.3 kilowatts of solar power whenever the sun shines, the White House said, improving the building’s energy efficiency.

…snip…

The project required technicians to first drill down to the concrete on the White House roof, then use epoxy glue and threaded rods to install a gridded subassembly onto which the solar panels could be secured. The solar components, converters and the labor to install the panels were all domestic, the White House said, declining to name any of the companies involved in the project.

If the average American knew how much this cost the taxpayer, they'd realize this is not cost-effective at all.Which is specifically why the White House refuses to release the numbers.

Obama seeks to use his personal example to spur American families and businesses to do more to reduce reliance on foreign energy and cut emissions blamed for global warming.

The new solar array, not seen since the Jimmy Carter Administration, and later, George W. Bush (who used it to power a maintenance building and heat some pool water), will be able to power six 50-watt bulbs for 20 hours (unless it rains, snows, or is a cloudy day), far less than his two predecessors.

Wait. What happened to W's solar panels???

"Being at the White House, we do have some security concerns. We can’t cover the entire roof, although that would be good from an energy savings standpoint," said James Doherty, the White House usher.

The only way this would be energy efficient is if Obama covered the entire roof, and all the acres of land surrounding the White House, and threw in a couple of wind turbines. But that would be plain ugly for one of the most prestigious presidential residences.

But not ugly enough for Americans to spend vast amounts of money to cover their roofs with solar panels and other so-called clean technology.

http://www.climatechangedispatch.com/they-re-back-solar-panels-now-atop-the-white-house.html