白宮太陽能板工程完工 奧巴馬帶頭用綠色能源

Technicians have finished installing solar panels on the White House roof, capping a project that President Obama hopes will send a signal that renewable energy is feasible and environmentally shrewd.

Obama said in 2010 that he would retrofit his family's new home with solar panels starting in 2011, then use the power generated to heat water for the first family and provide some electricity. But the project remained dark until late 2013, when the installation finally started.

Obama wants to use his personal example to spur families and businesses to do more to reduce reliance on foreign energy and cut emissions blamed for global warming. "Solar panels at the White House are a really important message that solar is here, we are doing it, we can do a lot more," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a video released by the White House.

The solar components, converters and the labor to install the panels were all domestic, according to the White House, which declined to name any of the companies involved in the project.

The panels are expected to generate 6.3 kilowatts of solar power whenever the sun shines, the White House said.

"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.

For some climate change activists, the years of delay underscored a lack of urgency. Bill McKibben of the environmental group said the project was symbolically significant, but also depressingly protracted.

"At this pace, we'll solve global warming right about the time that we're 30 feet under water," McKibben said in an interview.

Obama isn't the first president to deploy solar at the White House. President Jimmy Carter spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices in the late 1970s, but his successor, Ronald Reagan, tossed the panels after he moved in. President George W. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, plus provided heated water for the pool.據美聯社5月10日報道，白宮屋頂太陽能電池板安裝工程已經完工，美國總統奧巴馬希望能借此宣傳可再生能源的切實可行和環保性。

奧巴馬2010年就曾表示要在2011年給白宮安裝太陽能板，利用太陽能爲第一家庭供應熱水和部分電力。不過，自此以後太陽能安裝工程就遲遲沒有下文，直到2013年後期才最終開始啓動。

奧巴馬希望以自己爲榜樣，激勵美國家庭和企業採取更多措施減少對國外能源的依賴，並降低碳排放——全球變暖的罪魁禍首。在白宮發佈的一則視頻中，美國能源部長歐內斯特•莫尼茲說：“白宮的太陽能電池板釋放了非常重要的信息，這裏在用太陽能，我們正在這麼做，而且還能做更多。”

白宮稱，太陽能板組件、轉換器和安裝人員均來自美國國內，但拒絕透露任何參與工程的公司名字。

白宮預計安裝的太陽能系統規模爲6.3千瓦，但表示出於安全和其他考慮，不便透露安裝太陽能板的總數和具體費用。“由於在白宮，我們的確有一些安全擔憂。我們不能將整個屋頂都覆蓋太陽能，儘管從節約能源的角度看這十分應該。”白宮管家詹姆斯•多爾蒂說。

不過，白宮太陽能板工程的蝸牛般施工進度讓熱心氣候變化的人士認爲缺乏緊迫感。環保組織“”的創始人比爾•麥吉本表示白宮此舉象徵意義重大，但對施工拖延數年感到不悅。“以這樣的速度，恐怕當解決全球變暖問題的時候，我們已經在水下30英尺了。”

奧巴馬並非首位在白宮安裝太陽能電池板的總統。上世紀70年代末石油危機爆發，時任美國總統吉米•卡特曾花3萬美元在白宮西翼的辦公室加裝太陽能加熱水系統。但其繼任者羅納德•里根入住白宮時拆除了這些太陽能板。此外，美國總統布什也在白宮實施過太陽能項目，曾用太陽能給部分建築物供電及給游泳池供熱水。