For the past 13 years, members of the American Solar Energy Society have coordinated annual tours of facilities making use of solar technologies. The event, called National Solar Tour, always takes place the first Saturday in October, and, it’s grown incredibly in recent years. Last year, across the United States, more that 115,000 people are said to have participated, visiting some 5,000 buildings spread across 2,900 communities. This Saturday, October 4, there will be 7 tours taking place across the state of Michigan. All tours are free.
The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti tour is self-guided and includes a number of homes and buildings being supplied energy by solar panels and wind turbines. Among the locations that will be open (between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM) are the Recycle Ann Arbor En-House Resource Center, the Michcon Nature House at Leslie Science and Nature Center, and Ypsilanti’s Food CO-OP, where our friend, local solar guru Dave Strenski, will be giving tours and sharing practical advice on how to install solar photovoltaic systems of your own.
