Jimmy Carter, former US president, builds a solar farm on a 10-acre land.
When Jimmy Carter was the president of the US in 1979 in the wake of the energy crisis, he addressed the nation and told people he had installed 32 solar panels that will use the energy from the sun to heat water.
He said that a generation from then, the solar heater may still remain a curiosity, a piece in a museum or a small part of the biggest adventures undertaken by Americans. His vision for clean and renewable energy proved to be ahead of his time.
However, his successor, Ronald Reagan, removed the panels; but, Carter and his family still worked to ensure the 32 panels are still part of an important story.
The Solar Panels Are Now Powering Half a Town
In his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter leased a land from 10 acres in order to use it as a solar farm. In February, the SolAmerica Company completed the project and now, these solar panels will meet more than 50 percent of the town’s energy requirements.
In June, the Carter family installed 324 solar panels on the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library that will supply around 7 percent of the library’s power.
Renewable Energy Is the Future
For Carter, distributed and clean energy generation is pivotal to meet the growing needs for energy worldwide while fighting off climate change.
He’s also encouraged by the immense progress which solar and other renewable energy sources have made and he expects for this progress to continue.
His support to renewable energy is a perfect example of why local and individual efforts matter to lower our dependence on fossil fuels, even when strong national initiatives are lacking.
Why Is the Solar Farm in Plains Important?
This solar farm is expected to generate 1.3 MW of power on a yearly basis which equals to 3,600 tons of coal. As the time goes by, this will avert the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
A lot of communities and individuals are joining Carter and his family towards the shift to cleaner energy sources. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been investing in tech and products making solar energy cheaper.
US states of California, New York, and Washington have come together and formed the US Climate Alliance after current president Donald Trump announced that the country will pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.
This work is definitely productive and the coal power plant construction is reducing globally. Plus, US will exceed in the goals from the Paris Accord, says a new report, despite their recent withdrawal.
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