Open House at the Florida Solar Energy Center October 6, 2006

On October 6, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa will open its doors to the public as a part of the National Solar Tour. Tours have been scheduled on the hour from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. FSEC is a research institute of the University of Central Florida, located at 1679 Clearlake Road on UCF’s Cocoa campus, shared with Brevard Community College.

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

Visitors will be given an insider’s view of the wide range of research projects conducted at FSEC on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Buildings and Energy Efficiencies, Environment, Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal and Alternative Transportation Systems. The Energy Education Department will conduct hands-on experiments. Visitors with groups larger than 10 are asked to contact the Energy Center prior to October 3 to make special arrangements for their groups. (Call FSEC Public Affairs Office at (321) 638-1015.)

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, fuel cells and other energy areas. For more information about the center, visit www.fsec.ucf.edu.

Official Website: http://www.cleanenergyflorida.org/solar_tour.html