TV Oil Tycoon Becomes Solar Advocate

Actor Larry Hagman was etched into pop history due to his role as greedy oil baron JR Ewing on the hit TV show Dallas. The nighttime soap opera was the number one program on television for several seasons, and lasted over ten. In 1980, the Who Shot JR? episode reportedly drew 90 million viewers.

In the real world, actor Larry Hagman converted his Ojai personal estate to all solar power in 2003. The 94-kilowatt installation cost $750,000 to install. His electricity bill went from $37,000 to $13 a year. It was one of the largest residential installations of a solar power system.

Today, he is a solar power advocate, and has been on the board of the non-profit organization Solar Electric Light Fund. They are working to bring solar power to people in areas where they don’t have electricity for schools, health clinics, and homes. They are conducting solar electricity projects in more than 15 countries, including Bhutan, Benin, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Navajo Nation, Nepal, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam.

Currently Larry is part of an ad campaign Shine, Baby, Shine for a solar power company called Solar World. Solar World is a German-based company, but it employs many Americans at its Oregon, California, and New Jersey locations. The Hillsboro, OR site has 650 employees, and is adding about 350 more by September. The company plans to hire some American soldiers returning from their tours in the Middle East.

Image Credit: Jeremy Levine Design

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Robert C.

7:29AM PDT on Jul 31, 2010

Good choice, JR. Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Anne P.

10:30PM PDT on Jul 25, 2010

I loved Larry Hagman as Major Tony Nelson on "I Dream of Jeannie" and J.R. Ewing on "Dallas." Thanks for the memories, Larry, and kudos for being such a strong supporter of solar energy!

Robert B.

2:10PM PDT on Jul 25, 2010

I would love to go all solar if I could just afford it.

Cynthia B.

6:38PM PDT on Jul 19, 2010

Thanks for bringing this story into the light!

Shraddha J.

3:00PM PDT on Jul 19, 2010

thanks

Kerrie G.

7:37AM PDT on Jul 19, 2010

This is really cool, thanks so much for the article!

Jessie H.

6:42PM PDT on Jul 18, 2010

Awesome! Thanks for the article!

Kay O.

12:15PM PDT on Jul 18, 2010

He saw the light, worth emulating.

Robin T.

2:09AM PDT on Jul 18, 2010

A great example.
When will someone start producing really affordable solar systems?

Mac R.

3:23PM PDT on Jul 16, 2010

You, the everyday person, can actually build your own solar panels! There are books and YouTube videos showing every step, as well as building your own windmills, too. You'll still need to buy the parts that connect them to your elect supply and to feed/sell your excess back to the grid, but building your own panels can save you a lot initially.

If you buy panels, shop around online because prices vary widely for the same power output.