Jimmy Carter’s family converts peanut farm into solar project, boosting renewable energy for Plains, Georgia residents.

In the late 1970s, former US President Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, became the first American president to champion the use of solar energy as a key to energy independence. His initiatives set the stage for the future of renewable energy in the United States. At 92, his family converted 10 acres of their peanut farm into a 1.3 MW solar farm, commissioned by Florida-based J&B Solar, which will produce over 55 million kWh of energy over the next 25 years. The project was developed under a lease agreement with Atlanta-based SolAmerica and was designed to generate over half of the power needs for the residents of Plains, a small town with a population of 683. The collaboration between these two companies is a testament to the enduring impact of these trailblazers.