Florida Solar Energy Center Offering Public Tours Friday

The Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa will offer public tours Friday, Oct. 6, as part of the National Solar Tour sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society.

Tours have been scheduled on the hour from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the University of Central Florida research institute at 1679 Clearlake Road. FSEC is on the Cocoa campus that is shared by UCF and Brevard Community College.

Tours will last about 50 minutes. Visitors will have an opportunity to explore the FSEC building and its many energy-efficient strategies. The building is one of the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in the United States. Tour guides will point out some of the features that can be adopted by homeowners and businesses to make their buildings more energy efficient.

Tours will include an insider’s view of the wide range of research projects conducted at FSEC on hydrogen and fuel cells, buildings and energy efficiencies, the environment, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy and alternative transportation systems. The Energy Education Department will conduct hands-on experiments. Visitors with groups larger than 10 are asked to contact Adrienne Henzmann at 321-638-1004 prior to Oct. 6 to make special arrangements for a tour.

The Florida Solar Energy Center is the largest and most active state-supported energy research center in the country. Current research activities include solar water and pool heating, solar electric and distributed generation systems, energy-efficient buildings, alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel and fuel cells. For more information about the center, visit www.fsec.ucf.edu.