Carter also installed 32 solar panels and a solar water heater atop the presidential residence.

œIn the year 2000, this solar water heater behind me, which is being dedicated today, will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy, he stated before the press.

However, in what became a hallmark trend of his successor, Ronald Reagan undermined Carters efforts and promptly stripped the system from the roof of the White House. In light of the devastating Oil Crisis of the 1970s, Reagan took things a step further, and deregulated oil and gas industries and eliminated price controls shortly after entering office in 1981.

Since his term in the highest office, Carter has occupied his time with humanitarian engagements through eponymous organizations and foreign diplomacy, earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work.

His latest endeavor, nearly 38 years after his mere 32 roof panels, has resulted in the construction of an expansive array on the Carters farm in Plains, Georgia. The array features 3,852 panels that track the sun throughout the day.

œI am encouraged by the tremendous progress that solar and other clean energy solutions have made in recent years and expect those trends to continue. Carter said in a statement.

The project has quickly become a source of great local pride. Though the array is small and produces less than $7,000 annually, it generates energy equitable to more than half of the energy consumed by Plains, a humble town of about 683. Despite the progress on a small town-level, Carter remains wary of the future on a grander scale.

Photo from New York Times