The sun may be lower on the horizon now, but solar activity is rising, beginning with the
National Solar Tour in October. Nine installations in Ypsilanti, along with one each in Saline and Ann Arbor, will be open to visitors interested in
seeing solar.
Eight of those sites are within approximately one mile of each other in and near downtown Ypsilanti.
The Ypsi Food Co-op and River Street Bakery at 312 North River Street sport three installations. Other hotspots are: Krzyzanski Apts A,B,C at 403 Huron Street; Ypsi City Hall at 1 South Huron Street; Adams School at 503 East Oak Street; Frog Island Park at 600 Marketplace; and the Corner Brewery at 720 Norris Street.
Power Panel, the provider of the large installation at the Corner Brewery, will be presenting at the brewery at 12 and 2 p.m. And local solar installer John Wakeman will be speaking about the "25% by '25" legislation, an initiative to require that Michigan utilities obtain 25% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 (the current requirement is 10% by 2015), will be speaking there at 1 p.m.
"We have [panels] on roofs, things on awnings on the side of buildings. We have micro-inverters, regular inverters...it's a lot of examples in a short distance," says Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi, points out. Strenski will be at City Hall throughout the day to answer questions, and Solar Ypsi volunteers will staff some of the other spots.
Other displays within driving distance will be at the Graf residence at 6232 Munger Road in Ypsilanti and the Bredernitz residence at 2114 Windmill Way in Saline.
All sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Also in conjunction with the National Solar Tour, Novi, Michigan-based Srinergy will host a bus tour of residential and commercial solar installations that day. Ann Arbor's
AMMA Center will be a featured stop. Click
here for more information and to register.
Both tours take place on Saturday, October 6.
Sources: Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi; Srinergy
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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