Tourists stand outside the White House on August 15, 2013 in Washington, DC, where solar panels are being installed, making good a promise made by the Obama administration nearly three years ago. With US President Barack Obama and his family vacationing in Martha's Vineyard for a week, workers equipped with cranes have been buzzing around the presidential mansion in downtown Washington. Since taking office in 2009, Obama has made green energy a priority for his administration, but his efforts have been thwarted by Congress.