Several environmental advocacy groups are planning a tour of Laramie's solar power installations Saturday, October 2. The goal is to help communities reach their full solar energy potential by educating folks on what’s possible, according to organizers.
Despite significant potential for solar energy, Wyomingranks 42nd in installed solar with 140.2 MW. Last year the state ranked 35th.
The tour will highlight a number of locations around the southeast Wyoming town including residential, university, commercial and municipal solar installations.
"We're hoping to get folks out, get them excited about solar, get them to support what the city is already doing by investing in solar," said Rob Joyce, an organizer with the Sierra Club.
Joyce said residents or businesses may not know there are grants available to help pay for solar arrays, how much that might cost, or what it looks like to have an array on your rooftop.
The hope is to show attendees how solar works, "and why it's important for folks to be able to invest in their own energy generation, and how it might run an electric house," said Joyce.
The event is organized by Sierra Club Wyoming, Powder River Basin Resource Council, Laramie's Alliance for Renewable Energy, and the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour.
There will be seven stops along the two-hour tour. Solar installers will be available to answer questions. There are multiple ways to attend the tour: by bike, car, or streaming online.
The tour begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday at the solar installation on the south side of the Laramie Ice & Event Center.
