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 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!
Greater Lansing Area
Metro Detroit Area
Greater Ann Arbor Area
Southwest Michigan Area
Greater Marquette Area
Greater Traverse City Area
Greater Grand Rapids Area
Northwest Michigan Area
Grand Traverse Solar Tour
Regional Coordinator:
Bill Queen (bqueen@nmc.edu or 1-800-748-0566, ext. 51700)
Heins Home
6300 Ravens Roost, Traverse City
 
This due south orientation of this well insulted home and its many windows allow it to utilize the sun for heating, as well as providing daylighting. Winter heating is supplied primarily by a wood-fired boiler and by using the sun to passively heat the home. The home's heating bills are 1/6 of the cost of average Michigan homes!
Thanks to a newly upgraded solar hot water system which uses evacuated tube collectors, the sun also provides most of the hot water for the home. A solar electric system supplies the home with a portion of the electricity.
Directions: From Tom's West Bay, where M-72 heads out west towards Empire, go exactly 8 miles. Watch closely, and turn hard left onto East Cedar Valley Rd. Take the first private road to the left, Ravens Roost Lane. Then take the second driveway (6300) off Ravens Roost. Please proceed slowly, as the dog likes to greet cars.
Click here for a Google area map.
Krumlauf /D' Argo Home
3200 East Winberie Lane, Cedar
 
This Certified 5 Star Plus Energy Star© home incorporates many healthy green building and energy saving features, including a state of the art evacuated tube solar hot water collector. The solar collector provides additional heating of domestic hot water and is connected to the radiant in-floor heating system. The owners placed great emphasis on using natural, non-toxic building materials in each phase of the construction process. The home was built using a 12" thick straw and light clay mixture for the exterior walls, beautifully covered on the interior with natural earth plasters. The foundation was built using non-foam insulated concrete wall forms. The home has a passive radon gas venting system. Low VOC penetrating oils are applied to all interior wood trim. Visitors will also be able to see how the environmentally friendly composting toilet was incorporated in the bathroom design. Many energy efficient appliances and lighting fixtures help make this home a practical solution to rising energy costs. The home will be certified as an Energy Star home.
Directions: From Traverse City take M-72 to 651 / South Cedar Road. Take a right on 651 and continue until you enter the village of Cedar. Pass through the village and you'll cross a bridge over Victoria Creek. Immediately after this bridge take a right on Schomberg / 645. Approximately 3/4s of a mile up Schomberg you will see grape arbors on the left, turn left on Winberie and continue to the fork - take the left, gravel and drive to the Krumlauf / D'Argo home on the hill.
Click here for Mapquest area map
La Casa Verde East
8202 S Schomberg Road, Cedar
 
La Casa Verde East is a 1950's era, 1900 sq ft single level home in Cedar, Michigan; about 15 miles West of Traverse City. The home is like many in the area, with a wonderful mixture of sun and shade. The owners believe that just about any older home can be made sustainable simply by choosing energy efficiency projects, like storm windows insulation, and solar power. The side yard has full sun for much of the day, and was selected for solar power.
The system powering this sustainable home consists of two solar trackers that turn to follow the sun, and two electric power inverters that turn the electricity generated by the solar trackers into 240VAC utility grade power. The power inverters feed the homes existing electrical panel and intertie with the utility grid. In the event of a utility power outage, automatic circuitry isolates the system from the utility, protecting utility workers as well as allowing the home to run independently of the utility.
This large (for residential photovoltaics) 5600 watt (5.6kW) photovoltaic system is providing substantially all the electric power needs of the 1900 sq ft home, including water heating, cooking and refrigeration. Substantial power is sold back to the utility grid through utility net metering (though at very unfair terms to the resident), resulting in a net-zero electric bill. This system follows on the owner's experience with a 1200 watt photovoltaic and 5500 watt gasoline generator system in North Carolina that can supply all the electrical needs of a 2000 sq ft home during extended weather related utility outages. The Michigan system generates an average daily output of 36kW hours, with daily peak outputs of 48kW hours.
The photovoltaic system was installed Fall of 2006 using Michigan labor and materials from locally owned companies where-ever possible. As incandescent lightbulbs burn out they are replaced by compact flourescent bulbs. Summer of 2007 saw the home's insulation upgraded to R45 using formaldehyde-free insulation that should substantially reduce the homes heating demands. Summer of 2008 will see the installation of small, electric point-of-use water heaters in each bathroom and kitchen that will reduce the electric usage for residential hot water heating and the overall water usage of the home (one will not need to let the water run to get hot water up from the central tank, nor constantly heat a large central tank for occasional use). Summer of 2009 will see the fuel oil furnace replaced by an electric air-source heat pump (the groundwater is too mineral laden for a geothermal heatpump). Long term projects will include electrical storage systems so excess electricity can be retained and used overnight rather than being sold back to the utility at unfair terms.
Directions: From Traverse City, take M-72 West towards Empire. Go approximately 5 miles to County 651. Go Right, North to Cedar. From Cedar, follow 651 ½ mile past the 4-way stop to County 645/Schomberg Rd. The restaurant Cedar Rustic Inn is at this intersection. Go Right on on 645/Schomberg Rd, which makes a left hand turn shortly after the intersection. Go about 1 mile on Schomberg Rd to 8202 Schomberg Rd. The house is on your left.
Click here for Mapquest area map
Northwestern Michigan College
2600 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City
Northwestern Michigan College, in partnership with Traverse City Light and Power, obtained funding from the State of Michigan Energy Office to construct the lab which features an 8KW fixed grid inter-tied system along with 2 KW of portable lab equipment. The Lab equipment has the ability to demonstrate a variety of system configurations and will provide technical training in solar photovoltaic technologies.
NMC's site also features a state-of-the-art solar hot water system that will heat the building’s domestic hot water and components within the HVAC laboratory. Other technologies available for viewing will include wind, geothermal, biofuels, and a hydrogen fuel cell. ** PLEASE NOTE THAT TOURS OF THIS SITE ARE SELF-GUIDED.
Directions: From Traverse City take US-31 to S Airport Road. Take S Airport Road east and follow it around the south side of the airport. Make a left on 3 Mile Road. Make a left on Aero Park Drive.
Click here for Mapquest area map.
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
URL: www.glrea.org
Email: info@glrea.org
Lansing:
(517) 646.6269
Toll Free:
1.800.434.9788
 Join GLREA
Go to our membership area and find out how you can join GLREA!
Contact GLREA
Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions or comments.
Current GLREA Board Members
Current GLREA Board Members
GLREA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and contributions may be tax deductable. |
