Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Built a Solar Farm in His Hometown That Powers Half the City

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was one of the earliest advocates for using renewable energy, installed water heating solar panels on the roof of the White House in 1979, during his administration. Unfortunately, the next President, Ronald Reagan, ordered them to be removed, as he had a different take on energy consumption. However, that didn’t hinder Carter’s dedication to providing clean, efficient energy to the public. In 2017, the 94-year-old leased 10 acres of land near his hometown in Plains, Georgia, to be used as an epic solar farm.

Comprising 3,852 panels, Carter's solar field now generates 1.3 MW of power per year, providing 50% of the small town's electricity needs (that's the equivalent of burning about 3,600 tons of coal). “Distributed, clean energy generation is critical to meeting growing energy needs around the world while fighting the effects of climate change,” says Carter. “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 worked together with Atlanta-based energy company SolAmerica to make his solar field a reality. “There remains a great deal of untapped potential in renewable energy in Georgia and elsewhere in the U.S.,” says SolAmerica executive Vice President George Mori. “We believe distributed solar projects like the Plains project will play a big role in fueling the energy needs of generations to come.”

The ambitious project symbolizes Carter’s personal commitment to renewable energy and pays homage to his first solar panel installation in 1979. The 39th president’s 32 White House solar panels are currently on display at The Smithsonian Institute, the Carter Library, and the Solar Science and Technology Museum in Dezhou, China.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leased 10 acres of land near his hometown in Plains, Georgia, to be used as an epic solar farm.

The ambitious project pays homage to his first solar panel installation at the White House in 1979.

 

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Comprising 3,852 panels, Carter's solar farm now provides 50% of the small town's electricity needs.

h/t: [Reddit]

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Staff Writer and Video Editor at My Modern Met. She earned a BA in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Berlin for many years, where she fostered a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from illustration and animation to music and ceramics. She now calls Edinburgh home, where she continues to work as a writer, illustrator, and ceramicist. Her ceramics, often combined with hand-painted animation frames, capture playful scenes that celebrate freedom and movement, and blend her passion for art with storytelling. Her illustrations have been featured in The Berliner Magazine as well as other print magazines and a poetry book.
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