As heard Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM …

1.

A second-annual Energy Expo is planned for Saturday, Sept. 24, at Bangor Township Hall in Bay County.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is sponsored by the Bangor Township Green Team.

Rain barrels, which allow people to save on their water bills, will be sold at the event.

Information also will be available on:

• Saving money with energy efficent lighting;
• Insulating your home; and
• The availability of solar and wind power in the area.

Vendors from throughout Mid-Michigan will be on hand to answer questions and provide demonstrations of their alternative energy and cost-saving products.

The Energy Expo is free and open to the public.

2.

College students from around the country will converge on Washington, D.C., next week for the fifth Solar Decathlon.

The event, held on the National Mall, is sponsored in part by the Dow Corning Corp., headquartered in Bay County’s Williams Township.

The U.S. Department of Energy is putting on the Decathlon, to challenge students to design, build, and operate solar-powered homes.

The decathlon runs from Sept. 23 through Oct. 2.

Students will be judged, in part, on their ability to keep costs low while designing and building their projects.

Technologies to be used in the homes include:

• Roofs that store and treat rainwater collection for household use;
• Window systems that allow net heat gain over the course of a year;
• Self-watering, plant walls which provide food and carbon cycle systems;
• Ventilation systems that regulate air distribution and fresh air supply without energy consumption; and
• Landscapes that provide food, modify microclimate, reduce solar heat gain, and prevent storm water runoff.

The winner of the competition will be the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

For more information, see solardecathlon.gov.

– Photo Credit: USDOE

-30-