SolarTown Meets with White House Correspondent Paul Brandus

We are pleased that we have another summer class of interns to learn about solar energy at SolarTown. Our interns this summer come from the University of Alabama, George Mason University and the University of North Carolina.  Continuing an annual tradition established two years ago, SolarTown interns met with White House correspondent and creator of the “West Wing Report” radio segment Paul Brandus. This year, we met at the ornate Hotel Sofitel, in the shadows of the White House.

In addition to reporting the latest news from the White House, Mr. Brandus has a strong interest in renewable energy in general and solar energy industry in particular. Brandus said that he may be the only one of 60 press correspondents at the White House to focus on renewable energy. He talked with the interns about Obama’s progress on energy policy, which Obama had made as one of the pillars of his administration. We at SolarTown posed the question why Obama hadn’t yet installed solar panels on the White House, but Mr. Brandus was just as puzzled as us, saying he had asked Obama himself that same question three times already.

Brandus believes renewable energy is a fairly bipartisan issue. He cited a recent poll which stated that Republicans actually favor more research and development in the renewable energy sector, contrary to popular belief. They are “not just a bunch of oil guys”, as Brandus put it, but in fact strong advocates of pursuing advancements in the renewable energy sphere.

Ultimately, Brandus is confident in the potential that solar energy has to offer.  You can hear more from Brandus on the daily radio segment, “West Wing Report”, which airs on over 200 radio stations across the country, as well as online at the WestWingReport.