
66 The Rising Sun in a Developing World
After the oil price shock of 1973, renewable energies and in
particular PV began to garner overwhelming popular support. The
American people became interested in solar energy in a profound
way, the significance of which is hard to appreciate today—a “solar
tsunami” with shock waves around the globe. It would not be unfair
to say that what has followed since pales by comparison to the
ardent enthusiasm of those days.
The effort culminated during Jimmy Carter’s Presidency (1977–
81). His Secretary of Energy was James Schlesinger. In California,
Governor Edmond Brown Jr. led the charge for solar. The Director
of the