Is The U.S White House Fully Powered By Solar Energy As Claimed by Bayo Onanuga?
There has been a claim attributed to the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, that the White House, located in Washington D.C, United States of America, is powered by solar energy. This was in defence of the Nigerian government’s plan to shift to solar power for the Presidential Villa.
On April 22, 2025, @NigeriaStories posted a picture of Onanuga on X with the caption “The White House in Washington D.C. USA uses solar power. ~ Bayo Onanuga.”
As at the time of publishing this report, the post has about 435,000 views. In the comment section, many X users had differing thoughts on the statement made by Onanuga. One such user, @apst_paul_Adams wrote “Yeahh go on, keep making the excuses guys. The white uses solar and they installed it with 10 billion dollars. That's the only thing una fit copy from the US. How about hospital? Job opportunities, a working judiciary, a working congress? Etc white house dry run Gen too. [sic]” while others such as @Govmentson said “It actually aligned with global best practices for sustainable development”.
The statement by the presidential aide has also been widely reported by reputable news platforms including Vanguard, Business Day, Daily Post, and Guardian Newspapers.
VERIFICATION
A look through Onanuga’s X page revealed that he posted a 2 minutes 49 seconds video showcasing “Inside the White House” on April 22, 2025 which he captioned, “The White House in Washington D.C. uses solar power.”
Further research by the fact-checker revealed that successive U.S administrations have taken different approaches to the use of solar energy in the White House. Solar panels were first installed on the White House roof during President Jimmy Carter’s administration in the late 1970s as part of an effort to promote renewable energy.
Also, when the Carter administration initiated the use of solar panels in 1979, it was only dedicated to the White House Cafeteria and Laundry Room. Meanwhile, the Reagan administration had them dismantled in 1986 citing maintenance costs. Under the administration of George W. Bush, the use of solar power was insubstantial. The administration only installed a 9 kilowatt solar electric array. It also installed only two solar thermal systems, one to heat the White House Pool and the Spa and the other one to provide general hot water for the building. In fact, this move was so trifling that it attracted little media coverage.
More notably, during President Barack Obama’s administration, solar panels were reinstalled on the White House roof in 2013 as part of a broader commitment to clean energy and sustainability. However, these panels help power only parts of the White House and to demonstrate support for renewable energy technologies.
According to Solar Reviews, a platform dedicated to ‘up-to-date articles about solar energy’ the solar panels at the White House do not provide all of its energy needs. It provides only a small portion of the building’s total power needs.
CONCLUSION
The claim that the White House, in Washington D.C, USA, is powered by solar energy is MISLEADING. As against the insinuation by Onanuga, the White House's use of solar power is only supplementary, not a primary source of energy for the entire building. At best, it only symbolizes a commitment to renewable energy rather than being a full-scale solar-powered facility.
