National Solar Tour Comes to All 50 States This Year

September 29, 2010

Photo of a crowd gathered near a home with solar panels on its roof.

Local tours of solar houses are being offered throughout the United States on or about October 2. Enlarge this image.
Credit: MSB Energy Associates

DOE's Solar Decathlon is still a year away, but for people eager to tour a solar home, the opportunity is now at hand. The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is hosting its fifteenth National Solar Tour, which features open-house tours of solar-powered homes, businesses, and public agencies in local events held across the county. The National Solar Tour is nominally held on Saturday, October 3, although some tours are scheduled earlier and some are later, so be sure to check the date for the tour in your area.

For the first time, tours are being offered in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Tours are also being offered in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in the Mexican state of Jalisco. According to ASES, more than 650 community solar tours have been registered, nearly triple the number of tours offered in 2009. Last year, 150,000 people participated in the event. See the ASES press release and the National Solar Tour Web site.