Former U.S. president builds a solar farm to power his hometown

by DailyHealthPost Editorial

jimmy carter

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States between 1977 and 1981, has been a vocal supporter of the solar energy industry for quite some time. This was evident when he installed 32 solar panels in the White House for water heating in 1979. Back then he supported his decision by saying:

“A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.” (1)

His prediction is slowly but surely coming true as solar energy is becoming a fast-growing industry worldwide. Today, the former U.S. president continues supporting his vision by supplying 50% of the power used in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, through his solar farm.

The 10-acre project was completed in February 2017 by SolAmerica and two and a half years later it continues to supply 1.3 Mega Watts of power per year. (2) The farm includes 3,852 panels plus another 324 panels that were later installed in Carter’s library. 

Carter’s advocacy for clean energy

Back in 1977, then-president Carter established the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and also signed the Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURPA). (3)

To this day, the Nobel Peace Prize holder, Jimmy Carter, continues to be a global advocate for clean energy.

“Rosalynn and I are very pleased to be part of SolAmerica’s exciting solar project in Plains. Distributed, clean energy generation is critical to meeting growing energy needs around the world while fighting the effects of climate change. I am encouraged by the tremendous progress that solar and other clean energy solutions have made in recent years and expect those trends to continue,” Carter said to SolAmerica. (4)

According to SolAmerica, the installation in Plains, Georgia is set to continue working effortlessly for decades to come and is projected to generate upwards of 55 million kWh over the next 25 years.

SolAmerica’s Executive V.P, George Mori had this to add:

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“There remains a great deal of untapped potential in renewable energy in Georgia and elsewhere in the U.S. We believe distributed solar projects like the Plains project will play a big role in fuelling the energy needs of generations to come.”

Jimmy Carter’s Hometown Turns to Sun for Power

Jimmy Carter’s Hometown Turns to Sun for Power
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