A solar farm in Beverly, Massachusetts, is the only remaining one of eight installed under the Carter administration. Plus, NBC10 Boston political analyst Sue O’Connell shares analysis of Jimmy Carter’s state funeral in Washington.
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On a day of remembrance for former President Jimmy Carter, his pioneering contributions to solar energy live on here in Massachusetts.
"Jimmy Carter ... was way ahead of his time in understanding this type of energy from the sun," said John Archer, vice president of nonprofit Solar Now, whose volunteers maintain a field of solar panels in Beverly that dates back to the Carter administration.
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In fact, the Dr. John W. Coleman Greenergy Park array outside Beverly High School is the last of the eight U.S. sites for solar panels chosen by Carter when he was president that's still in use, said Solar Now Director Brad Bradshaw, "which speaks to his foresight in terms of what the role of solar could be."
Dating back to 1981, the solar panels still provide more than 80% of the output they were originally designed to provide.
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"It really put Beverly on the map. We're the oldest field going in the country and so we were able to qualify for some historic grants to keep things going," Archer said.
He was tapped by John Coleman, the MIT physicist responsible for convincing the Carter administration to install the panels in Beverly.
Today, the site continues to provide a roadmap for sustainable energy.
"We have scientists come visit Beverly once or twice a year sometimes to try to understand how these things behave after 40-plus years," said Mike Collins, the director and commissioner of Public Services and Engineering for the City of Beverly.
Carter's vision for sustainable energy is now a reality.
"I foresee this being a field for more generations to come," Archer said.
