In Commemoration Of The RNC Coming To Cleveland, Ohio These Are The Homes Of Ohio Presidents We Would Love to Install Solar Panels
Historic buildings, big buildings, national landmarks. Of all the places we could install solar in Ohio which ones do we pine after? With the RNC coming to Ohio next week, we decided that we would love to install solar power systems on the homes of the most powerful person in the world. Ohio is known as the birthplace of Presidents. We are tied with Virginia for having produced eight of them, mostly during the latter half of the 19th century.
Of course the current home of the President has solar panels as President Obama installed solar in 2014. But that wasn't the first time that solar was installed. President Carter installed 32 panels way back in 1979. They were later removed by President Reagan in 1986.
In any sort of historic buildings there would be concerns as to how the solar panels look and to what extent the outside facade would be altered. There is also the concern of construction changing the basic structure of the house and altering the historical nature of the building.
However, a historical building that will be preserved indefinitely should look into enhancing energy efficiency and solar power to reduce its carbon footprint. The roofline of a historic building is often a distinctive feature. The National Park Service offers the following guidelines: "The installation of solar panels should conform to guidance regarding rooftop additions, i.e. that they be minimally visible, to avoid altering the historic character of the building. Historic buildings with a flat roof or parapet can usually accommodate solar panels because the panels will be hidden, while properties with a hipped or gabled roof are generally not good candidates for a rooftop solar installation. Solar panels on historic buildings should not be visible from the public right of way such as nearby streets, sidewalks or other public spaces."
The Secretary of the Interior has Standards for Rehabilitation when it comes to the renovation and preservation of historical houses. The most important considerations are that the changes should not create a false sense of historical development and that, "New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment."
In any case, building preservation is paramount. But we don't want to alter the look and feel of a historical building, we just want to install solar to make sure that our most important historical landmarks, our national treasures here in Ohio have the ability to generate their own electricity to offset their carbon footprint. Stating that, these are the Presidential homes that we have on our wishlist.
Birthplace of Presidents
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was our 9th President and only in office for a month. Ohio was his adopted home and he lived in North Bend, near Cincinnati. He was the first president to die while in office. His house is located in Vincennes, IN. We would have no problem installing panels on the President's house. We love Indiana as well.
Harrison has a perfect southeast, southwest and east facing sections of roof with what looks like asphalt shingles. Black panels would add a touch of modernity and class. We want this one to be special so we are going to go with the SunPower 335 watt 96 cell monocrystalline with 21.0% efficiency. We'll go with the SMA Sunny Boy string inverter with maximum efficiency of 97%.
Address: 3 W Scott St, Vincennes, IN 47591
Ulysses S. Grant Boyhood Home
President Ulysses S. Grant was born in Point Pleasant, in southwestern Ohio and became the 18th president of the United States. He spent his formative childhood years in Georgetown, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. The 18th President of the US, he was elected to two terms in office after a distinguished military career.
In spite of the fact that the house has a perfectly unobstructed south-facing roof, we would place solar on the east-facing interior roof so the solar panels are minimized from the street. We are going to go with Canadian Solar CS6U 325 watt 72 cell monocrystalline panels with up to 17% efficiency. Grant was known for his brutal efficiency as a Civil War general. He was tough, hardy, and got the job done, Canadian Solar is the perfect complement. Then we are going to finish it off with Enphase M250 microinverters and their 96.5% efficiency.
Address: 219 E Grant Ave, Georgetown, OH 45121
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the US, following Ulysses S. Grant. He was born in Delaware, Ohio, which is just north of Columbus. The Hayes Presidential Center is located in Fremont, just west of Sandusky in Northwest Ohio.
The Hayes Presidential Center has a beautiful south facing roof perfect for solar. We are going to go with Kyocera KD 200-60 F Series 260 watt monocrystalline. We will use a Fronius string inverter to connect the solar power system.
Address: Spiegel Grove,, Fremont, OH 43420
James A. Garfield Home
James A. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States and his preserved home is in Mentor, OH. Garfield was the third straight President from Ohio. He served for only six months before being assassinated.
The Garfield Home has plenty of roof space that would not necessarily be visible from the street, so solar would be a great option. There is plenty of south-facing roof to offset 100% of their power needs. We are thinking of LG 300 watt 60 cell mono panels with 18.3% efficiency. There is one problem, however: the roof rises and falls in several places so we would have to worry about shading issues. We would go with Enphase microinverters to make sure there are no disruptions.
Address: 8095 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060
Benjamin Harrison
The 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison is the grandson of the 9th President William Henry Harrison. He was born in North Bend, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. Harrison's presidential house is located in our neighboring state of Indiana. The house has a perfect south-facing roof that must have been built with solar in mind. We are going to go with SolarWorld Sunmodule Plus SW 285 watt 60 cell monocrystalline panels with 17.0% module efficiency. Then we will connect the system using a SMA SunnyBoy string inverter.
Address: 1230 N Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
William McKinley Tomb
McKinley was the 25th President and was born in Niles, OH, just north of Youngstown. He was President when America became the world's greatest power, adding territory in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii. He was wildly popular despite being assassinated in Buffalo in 1901.
Well, someone beat us to our great idea! The McKinley museum and library has approximately 42 panels ballasted on their roof. They were installed in 2012 and produce approximately 15,000 kWh of electricity per year. That means we got dibs on the other seven!
Address: 800 Mc Kinley Monument Dr NW, Canton, OH 44708
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President and ushered in a distinguished line of Tafts in politics. His son was Senator from Ohio, and his grandson went on to serve two terms as governor. Taft only served one term as president before eventually obtaining the position he truly desired: Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Taft's house was converted into a fine arts museum in Cincinnati just down the road from the Great American Ballpark, home to the Cincinnati Reds. There is plenty of space for a ballasted system. There is a perfect section of southeast-facing roof that we would love to install Suniva 330 watt 72 cell panels in the silver frame. Silver and red is as close as we are going to get to scarlet and gray. Taft would have been an Ohio State Buckeyes fan. We would finish it off with a Fronius Primo inverter, perfect for a large residential system.
Address: 316 Pike St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Warren G. Harding Home
Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States and the last President born in Ohio. The Harding Home in Marion, Ohio is currently going through a $7 million renovation that will be completed by 2020. The president's former residence has a beautiful south-east facing roof that would be unobstructed and perfect for solar. We suggest SunPower E20 327 watt 96 cell panels with 20.3% efficiency. Since we will not have to be dealing with shading, we are going right back to the SMA SunnyBoy string inverter. address: 380 Mt Vernon Ave, Marion, OH 43302
