(Chelsea Update would like to thank Patrick Zieske for the information in this story.)
Are you interested in solar power and would like to see it for yourself?
On Saturday, Oct. 1, the national Solar Home Tour comes to Chelsea from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Approximately 10 local homes and businesses are opening doors to the public. Completely for free, tour participants can visit the sites on the tour to learn about how renewable energy works through real-world examples, ask questions, and get ideas.
People will begin the tour at the Chelsea District Library, 221 S. Main St. From there, pick up a detailed tour guide and map, get a name tag (your ticket), and then proceed according to a self-paced itinerary at any time during the hours of the tour.
In addition to solar electric, the tour also features wind, passive solar technology, and and solar hot water. Some of the highlights are the Trumpeys’ off-grid strawbale home (featured as 2015 Homesteaders of the Year by Mother Earth News) and two solar thermal systems at Robin Hills Farm just outside the Chelsea city limits.
This year, we have added a new location and new features at other sites, such as car charging stations at a site that has been featured in a Ford electric car commercial.
When you get the tour guide at the library, you will see photos and descriptions of each site, so that you can go to those of greatest interest to you. It would be easy to fill a whole six hours with the variety here, or with less time available you might go to just one or two of them.
Transition Town Chelsea is pleased to sponsor the local Chelsea event in partnership with the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association this year.
Locally and nationally, the events on the first weekend of October are designed to spread knowledge about how to use sustainable technologies to reduce monthly utility bills, help protect our environment, become self-reliant, and rely on energy that is continually renewed from the sun’s output.
More than 160,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings in 3,200 communities across the United States.
