Jimmy Carter (Courtesy of National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
Jimmy Carter had an underappreciated role in Colorado’s story. It started in May 1978 when he announced that the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden would get $100 million in federal funding.
“Nobody can embargo sunlight,” he said. “No cartel controls the sun. Its energy will not run out. It will not pollute the air; it will not poison our waters. It’s free from stench and smog. The sun’s power needs only to be collected, stored and used.”
It was a rare umbrella day in Golden. Carter’s timing for his proclaimed “Sun Day” was off. But he was on the…
