The American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour is once again traveling through Northeast Ohio and will visit multiple locations Oct. 3-5.
Now in its 32nd year, the tour will include 19 host sites in Lake and eastern Cuyahoga counties, according to coordinator Tom Rapini.
On Oct. 3, the West Guided Bus Tour will depart from the David E. Anderson Willoughby Senior Center at 9 a.m. and return around 3 p.m. Participants will view and learn about electric vehicles, solar energy systems and wind power systems.
On Oct. 4, the East Guided Bus Tour will depart from the Mentor Senior Center at 9 a.m. and return around 2 p.m., visiting seven renewable energy sites in the city.
Tours are free and include a complimentary lunch.
The same day, the tour bus will stop at the Electric Vehicle Rally, which is free and open to the public, held at the Laketran Frank J. Polivka Transit Center at Lakeland Community College.
The rally will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and will include free EV charging. Private owners and local auto dealers will showcase and discuss their electric vehicles. Additionally, officials from Laketran will highlight one of the buses from the agency’s fleet of ten electric buses.
Throughout the weekend, open houses will be held across the state and the country to celebrate the tour and help visitors learn about the costs, benefits, installation, and operation of renewable energy systems at homes and businesses, Rapini noted.
“Besides moving the EV Rally to Lakeland, we have added some new stops on the bus tours, including the very large solar array at the Chagrin Falls Wastewater Plant,” he said. “We want to make people aware that EVs are the future, despite what our government is doing at (the) state and federal levels.
“Solar is still an excellent long-term investment that will pay for itself….just look at rising electric costs, even without the tax credits,” Rapini added. “And the rest of the world is already passing us by in EV and renewables technology and installations — this will only hurt us in the long run.”
The American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour is sponsored by the regional solar installer YellowLite.
All solar tour host sites can be found by visiting www.nationalsolartour.org, clicking “MAP” and then zooming in on Northeast Ohio.
Reservations can be made by contacting Valerie Garrett at 440-231-0842.
