39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter will be speaking at the 11th annual American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) Summit; held by the American Renewable Energy Institute (AREI).
President Carter played an important role in raising awareness of solar energy in the 1970’s when he arranged for the installation of a solar hot water system on the rooftop of the White House.
At the unveiling of the system, President Carter commented:
“…a generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people; harnessing the power of the Sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”
Unfortunately, the American people – or more accurately, the subsequent administration – didn’t share in President Carter’s vision.
The system was removed in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan who believed the installation “didn’t befit a super-power”.
We’ll never know how much further the world would be along the clean energy path if President Reagan and some of his immediate successors embraced and supported solar to the degree of Carter.
However, the renewable energy revolution is certainly now under way and thanks in part to President Carter.
“President Carter’s work was undeniably key in laying the groundwork for the Great Transition,” said Chip Comins, chairman and CEO of the American Renewable Energy Institute (AREI) . “As a country we’ve survived both the Great Depression and the Great Recession, and are now welcoming the Great Transition, in which we must take the critical steps toward an environmentally and economically sound future.”
American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) Summit will be held August 10 to 13, 2014 at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado.
