National Solar Tour Shines Brightly

The National Solar Tour marks its 14th year on Saturday, October 3. Billed as "the world's largest grassroots solar event," the tour provides members of the public with the opportunity to experience the latest in solar design technologies as they are currently implemented in homes and buildings nationwide.

Sponsored by a collaborative gathering of governmental and private entities, the event — which this year is expected to draw 150,000 curious visitors — provides the dual benefit of informing the public about the realm of possibilities in solar energy, as well as to provide designers and green energy developers a forum for showcasing their work.

The year-after-year growth in the event — they’re looking to have nearly 170,000 participants next year — has tour organizers and sponsors hopeful that the uptick in interest will parallel an increase in solar technology application as more people learn about the options that are increasingly available at decreasing levels of cost.

In addition to highlighting solar technologies, tour events provide supporting information about non-solar design tips such as appliance selection, use of recycled materials and design principles geared toward supporting leaving a smaller footprint.

Visit the tour location page to locate a local National Solar Tour event near you, and make some plans to turn your Saturday into a sun day.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Kubina, via Wikimedia Commons