Former President Jimmy Carter. Photo from the Commonwealth Club.
Atlanta-based SolAmerica Energy, a solar, development and construction firm, will be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its latest solar project, on Feb. 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET in Plains, Georgia. Former President Jimmy Carter leased a 10-acre site in his hometown to SolAmerica for development of the 1.3-MW solar project, which will provide over 50% of the power needs of the City of Plains.
Carter, an early advocate and leader of the renewable energy movement during his tenure in the White House, said, “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.”
President Carter created the Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and signed the Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURPA), all catalysts for the advancement of renewable energy in the U.S. Carter was also the first president to put solar panels on the White House.
SolAmerica executive vice president George Mori said, “We are honored to work with President Carter and his family on this project in Plains, as President Carter’s leadership on renewable energy matters is well-known and much appreciated in our industry. Through a 25-year PPA with Georgia Power, this project will help expand the growth of renewable energy assets in Georgia, while contributing to the overall economy of Plains.”
SolAmerica developed, engineered and installed the single-axis tracker solar array on Carter’s property. Over the next 25 years, the system is projected to generate over 55 million kWh of clean energy in Plains.
“There remains a great deal of untapped potential in renewable energy in Georgia and elsewhere in the U.S.,” said Mori. “We believe distributed solar projects like the Plains project will play a big role in fueling the energy needs of generations to come.”
News item from SolAmerica