The solar plant of 1.3 MW in Plains, the small town where the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, was born, was inaugurated last February. The installation will cover 50 per cent of the electricity demand of local households.

The former president is directly involved in the project because, in addition to cutting the ribbon, he personally leased the just over 4 hectares of land on which the plant, built by SolarAmerica Energy, was constructed. "We are honoured to work with President Carter and his family on this project here in Plains," said George Mori, vice president of the company. "President Carter's leadership on renewable energy is well known and appreciated in our industry."

During the inauguration speech, the former president, who will turn 93 this year, confirmed: "Rosalynn and I are very pleased to be part of SolAmerica's project here in Plains. The distribution and generation of clean energy is fundamental to meeting the growing demand for energy and to combating the effects of climate change. It is encouraging to see the great progress made by solar and other clean energy sources in recent years."

Jimmy Carter, the first president to install solar panels on the White House

It was 1979 when President Jimmy Carter installed the first 32 solar panels for water heating on the roof of the White House. The installation was later dismantled in 1986 during the Reagan presidency. A landmark event nonetheless, which took place during one of the most severe oil crises the States ever had to face. An extremely symbolic gesture, a forerunner of our times.

Not only that — Carter subsequently had 324 solar panels installed on the roof of the presidential library dedicated to him, capable of producing around 7 per cent of the energy required by the facility. "In the year 2000 this solar water heater behind me," Carter declared in 1979, "will still be here supplying energy at a low cost and efficiently. A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of the road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by Americans." Never were words more far-sighted.