GLREA: National Tour of Solar Buildings

Michigan Sustainable Homes & Businesses Tour
(formerly Michigan Solar Tour)
Part of the ASES National Solar Tour
October 6, 2007
10 am - 4 pm
The solar tour is free and self-guided. Visit as many sites as you would like from 10am to 4pm, in any order that you would like. Enjoy the good energy, and have fun!

DTE Energy Hydrogen Technology Park
27220 Inkster Road, Southfield, MI

The DTE Energy Hydrogen Technology Park features a 26 kW photovoltaic system that is connected to the electrolyzer system and provides a portion of the electricity used for making hydrogen. The solar array is comprised of 420 Siemens solar panels (75W each). DC power from the panels is converted to AC power using two 16.5 kW inverters. The eastern array tracks the sun daily as it moves from east to west across the sky. The northern array faces south at a manually adjustable tilt angel which is usually set at 35°. The solar power produced here is delivered to DTE Energy’s Hydrogen Technology Park where it is used to make hydrogen for powering the fleet of H2 powered cars and trucks. A Chrysler F-Cell car driving range is up to 64,500 miles per year on hydrogen made by solar power. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a unique application of solar power!

Directions:
Take I-696 to Exit 5 (Orchard Lake Road). Take Orchard Lake Road South to 11 Mile Road. Take 11 Mile Road East (Left Turn) to Inkster Road. Take Inkster Road North (Left Turn) to address.

The Electrical Industry Training Center (EITC) is the training facility for Local 58 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Through a five year apprenticeship to train electricians, a three year apprenticeship for telecommunications installers, and numerous specialized journeyman and installer-tech training classes its programs have been preparing workers for the needs of the electrical industry for nearly a century.

Through the course of their apprenticeship training, students learn how to do electrical installations which are compliant with the National Electrical Code. All graduates of the EITC electrical apprenticeship program are licensed by either the State of Michigan or the City of Detroit, and receive a minimum of 8000 hours in on-the-job training and nearly 1000 hours of classroom training. While the majority of the training which the apprentices receive can be applied directly to the electrical portion of renewable energy projects, specialized training is also conducted for journeymen to familiarize them with some of the unique aspects of photovoltaic installations.

Currently the EITC has an 18kW grid-tied photovoltaic system, and a 6kW grid-interactive wind turbine system installed on the premises. For hands-on training the school has a 1.1kW Sharp/SMA PV system which is used in conjunction with a mock-up of a typical asphalt shingled roof, and an 800 watt AstroPower/Trace system which is being revamped with ballasted roof racks and new batteries.

With 40,000 square feet of space dedicated solely to educating electrical workers the EITC is one of Michigan’s largest trades training institutions. Privately funded through a joint program operated by the IBEW and NECA the center strives to educate workers not only in the traditional methods of doing electrical work, but also in new technologies such as Energy Management, Building Systems Integration, Photovoltaics, and Wind Power. This approach helps to ensure that participating contractors will have an adequate supply of skilled labor to meet the needs of emerging markets in the electrical industry.

DIRECTIONS: Take I-696 to Exit 20 (Dequindre Rd). When you exit, stay straight and merge onto 11 Mile Road heading East. Follow 11 Mile Road to Ryan Road. Make a Left on Ryan Road. Go over the highway and make a left onto 11 Mile Road heading West. After you pass David Givens Street, the road splits. Stay to the right to stay on 11 Mile Road. Turn right into the drive for 2277 11 Mile Road. If you get to Parkview Blvd, you’ve gone too far.

The Farm at Catherine Ferguson Academy
2750 Selden St, Detroit

The Catherine Ferguson Academy is an alternative Detroit Public School, with many innovative features. The school grounds include a full-fledged farm with gardens, orchards, horses, goats, bees, chickens, ducks and rabbits. The farm is integrated into the curriculum at the school. In previous years the students also built a barn for the farm project.

In 2004/2005, through a grant from the Nobel Peace Institute and the international Shrinking Cities exhibit, Catherine Ferguson Academy was the recipient of a solar and wind power system which the students helped install on the barn roof to supply power for the farm operations.

What makes this story more amazing is that the entire student body of Catherine Ferguson Academy is made up of teen mothers. By bringing these students together in one school, they've been able to meet their needs better than traditional schools. For example, the gym has been turned into a nursery where local seniors provide childcare so that the students can stay in school. Instead of the typical 80% drop-out rate for teen mothers, the school has an 80% graduation rate, and 90% of those students go on to college. The school is an amazing example of social sustainability, combined with renewable energy systems and organic agriculture.

Directions: Take I96 West to the Martin Luther King st. Make a right, cross the freeway and you will come to Lawton. Make a left on Lawton and go two blocks. The Catherine Ferguson Academy is at the corner of Lawton and Selden.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Motherhouse
610 W. Elm Ave., Monroe
* Special conditions exist for tours of this site. Please read below.*

The IHM Motherhouse, nationally recognized for its green renovation and winner of seven awards, is different from our other tour sites. The tour will only be available starting at 10am and will follow a standard two-hour tour and presentation format. Visitors should register by contacting Sharon Venier at svenier@ihmsisters.org or 734.240.9754. A donation to the IHM Sisters is requested.

In the spring of 2003, the IHM Congregation completed a major renovation of their 70-year-old Motherhouse and Health Care Center in Monroe, Michigan. The renovated Motherhouse is a LEED Certified building and a concrete expression of sustainability. The renovation involved extensive reuse or recycling of building materials, and the implementation of a number of energy saving technologies including a geothermal heating and cooling system and gray water recycling system. The 238-acre campus was transformed with diversified vegetation, constructed wetlands, natural drainage systems, and a community supported agriculture program and organic farm.

Directions:
From Detroit: Take I-75 S toward Toledo. Take the M-50 / Dixie Hwy exit- Exit 15- toward downtown Monroe. Turn right onto N Dixie Hwy / MI-50. Turn right onto E Elm Ave / MI-50. Continue to follow E Elm Ave.

“Vision with purpose cultivates innovative technologies solving today’s energy demands.” “It’s all about identifying a need and solving the problem” according to Robert Kulick founder of Kulick Enterprises, Inc. Specializing in design, prototyping and production machining Kulick Enterprises has serviced the military, medical, and automotive industries. In fulfilling a government contract to produce prototype vehicles for the Department of Defense Kulick Enterprises worked on a portable energy system for the military’s mobile medical units. It was that project which initiated the design of a residential and commercial application of an energy-saving system for the home and business. In 2006, CRESIT was formulated.

CRESIT is a new energy and money-saving technology combining a true sine wave power inverter, a solar panel, and batteries. In regular, day-to-day use, CRESIT is able to store solar energy to be used in place of grid power, reducing a structure’s energy cost by a significant amount on a monthly basis. CRESIT can also be used in a capacity similar to a generator during emergency situations such as power outages.

The CRESIT system converts direct current (DC) power—produced by batteries—into alternating current (AC) power, allowing for much safer power delivery to expensive equipment and appliances, such as computers, televisions, and refrigerators. The clean power is constant without power surges and recessions. The savings CRESIT provides will eventually cause the CRESIT unit to pay for itself.

CRESIT is on display at Kulick Enterprises in Wyandotte, Michigan. The building houses a vertical solar structure that harnesses solar energy for the CRESIT system. To further enhance the system, a wind turbine will be added to the roof. The operating system demonstrates how the system converts energy into usable power. Visitors are welcome to learn what a difference we can all make.

Directions:
From I-75 in Detroit, take the Eureka Road exit 36. Take Eureka Road East to Biddle Avenue in Wyandotte. Take Biddle Avenue South to Kulick Enterprises.

Mechanical Energy Systems
8130 N. Canton Center Rd., Canton

Visit our Demonstration Center and see a variety of working solar applications that can be retrofitted to existing homes and businesses. See how we light our office with Solatubes, heat our water with a Solar Boiler and power our computers and phones with Wind and Photovoltaic systems. Check out our Solar Wall and Solar Hot Air Panels used to assist the heating of our building during the winter months. Also, learn about the advantages of Solar Attic Fans and Solar Pool Heating systems. We offer high efficiency heating and cooling equipment to promote energy conservation, as well. Let us share our 22 years of Solar expertise as you walk through our building and discover how you can become an energy advocate, and control your future energy needs!

From Ann Arbor: Take US-23-BR N / M-14 E. Merge onto MI-14 E. Merge onto Ford Rd / MI-153 E via Exit 10. Turn left (north bound) onto Canton Center Rd. At first light past Warren Rd. turn left to stay on Canton Center Rd, we are located a 1/4 mile down on the east side.

From Ypsilanti: From the intersection of Cross and Prospect, head north on Prospect Turn right onto Ford Rd / MI-153. Turn left (north bound) onto Canton Center Rd. At first light past Warren Rd. turn left to stay on Canton Center Rd, we are located a 1/4 mile down on the east side.

From Detroit: Take US-96 W to I-275 N. Exit Ann Arbor Rd, turn right (west bound) on to Ann Arbor Rd., follow to Sheldon Rd., turn left (south bound) to Joy Rd. turn right (west bound), follow to Canton Center Rd., turn left (south bound). We are located a 1/2 mile down on the east side of Canton Center Rd.

Oakland University Student Apartments, Community Building
4000 Meadowbrook Drive, Rochester, MI

The Oakland University project is a 10kW solar roof shingle project. This is a building integrated system, and is grid integrated, using no batteries. A second wind-solar hybrid system can also be viewed nearby. This is a small, stand-alone system using batteries.

For more information about Oakland University’s Energy program and detailed direction to the site, please visit www.ouenergy.com.

Directions:
Oakland University is located north of Detroit, MI. To visit our 1,440 acre campus, take I-75 to exit 79 and go east on University Drive to Squirrel Road. Take a left on Squirrel Road to Walton Boulevard. Make a right on Walton Boulevard. Follow alongside the campus and make a right on East Oakland Drive. Make a right on Meadowbrook Road and the solar tour site will be on your right.

Or, take M-59 to Squirrel Road exit and go north Walton Boulevard. Follow alongside the campus and make a right on East Oakland Drive. Make a right on Meadowbrook Road and the solar tour site will be on your right.

Click here for Mapquest area map
(*This map will take you to the intersection of East Oakland Dr & Meadowbrook Rd*)

PLEASE NOTE: THIS TOUR SITE WILL ONLY BE OPEN FROM 12p - 4p DUE TO A FUNERAL ONSITE. THANK YOU.

The St. Elizabeth rectory has both solar/electric and solar/thermal technology. It has a hybrid solar/electric stand alone system. Seven circuits run on solar, including computer, copier, television, lights, etc. Most of the first floor and part of the rectory basement run on solar. Six 80 watt and four 120 watt Kyocera photovoltaics provide 1.12 kilowatts/hr. of power. A Southwest Air 403 wind turbine on the rectory roof also supplies up to 400 watts/hr of electric power. There are sixteen AGM Discover batteries that provide at least four days of supplemental power during periods of cloud cover and lack of wind. The AGM batteries do not require any maintenance. In addition, a solar attic fan on the rectory roof removes 800-1200 cubic feet/minute of hot air from the attic. lSt. Elizabeth also has a 64 sq. foot solar collector on the rectory garage roof to provide hot water for the rectory. It is estimated that over 1/2of the rectory's annual hot water is supplied by the solar/thermal hot water system. St. Elizabeth Church, school and rectory have seen a complete overhaul of the lighting system with CFLs, T-8 and T-5 fluorescent lights throughout the school, rectory and church. Exit signs throughout all of the buildings are now LED technology. The Church windows have been reinforced by the placement of a solar net on the outside and low-E glass on the inside. Thanks to the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency measures, St. Elizabeth saves over $20,000/year annually, about 10% of the parish budget.

Directions:
St. Elizabeth is located at 138 Goodell at the corner of Second Street in Wyandotte. We are one block south of Goddard and two short blocks west of Biddle [Jefferson is called Biddle in Wyandotte]. To reach St. Elizabeth from the north, east and from the west take the appropriate expressway [either I-94, I-75 or I-96] to the Southfield [M-39]. Take Southfield south all the way until it ends at Jefferson by the Detroit River. Turn right on Jefferson and go one and one-third miles [or three lights]. The third light is Goddard. Goodell is the next street. Turn right on Goodell and the rectory is two quick blocks on the right.

From the South you could take I-75 to Fort Street and Fort Street to Goddard. You turn right on Goddard and take it for a little over a mile until you reach Second Street. Turn right on Second Street and the rectory is on the southeast corner at the next block. Or one can also take Telegraph and turn right at Goddard, also taking Goddard to Second Street.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS TOUR SITE WILL ONLY BE OPEN FROM 12p - 4p DUE TO A FUNERAL ONSITE. THANK YOU.

University of Detroit Mercy 10kW PV Installation
McNichols Campus, 4001 W McNichols, Detroit

The 10kW photovoltaic array, located on the roof of the Engineering Building on the McNichols campus, is a Uni-Solar system which used the triple junction amorphous silicon alloy technology designed and manufactured by United Solar Ovonic. The array consists of seven 20 ft x 17 ft horizontally mounted self-ballasted assemblies that feed an inverter which in turn provides AC power directly into the building electrical system. The photovoltaic system offsets the building’s commercial electrical consumption by about 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year.

Students and faculty installed the solar arrays on the roof of the Engineering building in fall 2005, and the wiring and instrumentation was completed in spring and summer 2006. A public display explaining solar photovoltaic principles and showing real-time electrical power production from the arrays is located in the building lobby. The solar project was partially funded by a $53,000 grant issued by the State of Michigan Energy Office, with funds coming from the U.S. Department of Energy.

More information about the photovoltaic system can be found at http://eng-sci.udmercy.edu/solarpower/index.html, including a real-time display of operating data.

Tour guides stationed near the engineering building lobby display will be available to answer your questions, and to take interested visitors onto the roof to get a close-up look at the system. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing if you want to go on the roof (the roof is flat and surrounded by a parapet, but you will have to climb over a window ledge).

Directions:
The University of Detroit Mercy McNichols campus is located at 4001 W McNichols, Detroit on the corner of Livernois and W McNichols.

From I-96: Take the Livernois exit and go north on Livernois about 2.5 miles. You will see the University clock tower on your right. Enter the campus and ask the guard for directions to the Engineering Building. The solar display is on the first floor of the engineering building.

Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center, located in rural Oxford, was born of a desire to explore and teach ways to live in more sustainable relationship with the natural environment. Designed and built in the late 1970's, the facility is a model of renewable energy and ecological design principles at work. Integrating sun, wind, earth and stones, the building is both beautiful and energy efficient. The center offers programs and workshops on a wide variety of subjects ranging from energy conservation and renewable energy to holistic health and indigenous wisdom. For more information, visit www.uheac.org

Directions:
From I-75/Pontiac area:
Take I-75 North to Exit 81 (Lapeer Rd.). Turn right (north) and go through the town of Lake Orion (about 7 1/2 miles). After passing the Kroger plaza on the right, look for a stone bridge at the bottom of the hill on the right. Turn right on Indian Lake Rd. and go about 2 1/2 miles. EAC sign will be on your right. From Rochester: Take Rochester Rd. (north) to Stoney Creek Rd. and turn left (west). Go about 2 miles to the stop sign and turn right. Continue on Lake George Rd. for about 3 miles. Turn left on Indian Lake Rd. and go 1/2 mile till you see our EAC sign on the left.

From I-69/Flint & Lapeer:
Exit I-69 at M-24 (Lapeer Rd.), go right (south) on M-24 to the town of Oxford. Turn left (east) onto Burdick Rd., the second stop light in town. (Burdick becomes Lakeville Rd.)...Go 4 miles to Lake George Rd., turn right (south) and go 1 1/2 miles to Indian Lake Rd. Turn right and go 1/2 mile till you see our sign on the left.

WARM Training Center has been promoting sustainable, affordable and healthy communities since 1981 (25 years!) by educating consumers and providing technical assistance to organizations. Come see our Green Building Demonstration Center, with solar and wind demos, a wide variety of green building materials, both on display and built into the offices, and our public resource room. For more information, visit www.warmtraining.org.

Directions: Take I96 toward downtown Detroit. Shortly after the exit to I94 take the MLK Blvd. and Michigan (Hwy 12) exit. Follow the service drive until you come to Michigan Ave. (Hwy 12). Turn Right. After passing under railroad tracks, look for the first traffic light and there you'll find us. WARM is at the SW corner of Michigan and 31st and has green and gold building. Park in the rear.

Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
URL: www.glrea.org
Email: info@glrea.org
Lansing:
(517) 646.6269
Toll Free:
1.800.434.9788

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GLREA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and contributions may be tax deductable.