(Chelsea Update would like to thank Patrick Zieske for the information in this story.)
On Saturday, Oct. 6 there will be a Solar Home Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning at the Chelsea District Library.
Are you interested in solar power and would you like to see it for yourself?
With the free annual Solar Home Tour, you can get a look at what other people have done on Saturday, Oct. 6. Solar power continues to gain in popularity very fast. There are many ways to apply the technology.
The Chelsea-area tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eleven local homes and businesses are opening their doors to the public – including two brand-new sites. 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 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), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers facility located in Chelsea with a large solar panel array and vertical-axis wind turbines, a residential site with car charging stations that has been featured in a Ford electric car commercial, and a new farm site.
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. If your time is more constrained on the tour day, you might go to just one or two sites that interest you most.
Transition Town Chelsea is pleased to sponsor the local Chelsea event in partnership with the Chelsea District Library and financial sponsor Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association.
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.
Contact Patrick Zieske, 734-389-8880, [email protected] for more information.
