BIRD ISLAND FARM TO SHOWCASE WIND ENERGY AT OCTOBER 1 OPEN HOUSE

The Jacobsen Tortoise Farm near Bird Island MN, will hold an open house Saturday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the state's MRES Solar Tour. The farm has a 20Kw WTIC/Jacobs wind turbine to provide power for the light and heat needed by the endangered species of turtles and tortoises that live on the farm.

The free, self-guided 16^th Annual MRES Solar Tour Saturday, October 1, includes open houses at about 50 Minnesota homes, businesses and organizations that have solar and other renewable energy installations. Organized by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), the tour includes open houses in the Twin Cities and several other Minnesota communities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For the first time, this year the online guide to sites at www.MNSolarTour.org will list each site’s additional eco-friendly features. Besides the usual pictures, maps and details about alternative energy technologies for each site, the guide will list eco-friendly features such as urban chickens, electric cars, rainwater storage systems and the like.

“The solar tour is popular with people who are thinking about purchasing some kind of renewable energy technology because it gives them a chance to see lots of systems and talk to lots of owners,” said Laura Cina, managing director of MRES. “The lists of other eco-friendly site features this year should draw even more people to the event.”

Last year more than 800 people toured 50 Minnesota sites with solar thermal, solar photovoltaic (PV) or passive solar installations or alternative energy technologies such as geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines.

“Solar and other renewable energy projects can reduce energy bills, reduce harmful carbon emissions, improve property values, and enjoy tax credits and cash incentives,” Cina said.

The MRES-organized solar tour is part of the annual American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) National Solar tour. MRES is a chapter of ASES.

The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES) is a member-run, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in Minneapolis in 1978 and incorporated in Minnesota in 1979 to promote the use of, and to engage in advocacy for, renewable energies in Minnesota through education and through the demonstration of practical applications. MRES is involved in education, awareness and advocacy efforts for all forms of renewable energy, with a particular emphasis on solar technologies. More information about MRES is available at: www.mnRenewables.org.##