September 30, 2009 – The 2009 Knoxville Solar Tour & Fair will shine on all things solar Saturday offering everything from workshops on existing solar opportunities and financial incentives to help pay for them, to a tour of homes and businesses already benefiting from solar power.

“This is an exciting and interactive way to learn about the opportunities for solar energy in Knoxville and see firsthand some local solar success stories,” said Erin Burns, the City of Knoxville’s Sustainability Coordinator. “If someone is interested in implementing solar technology in their home or business this event is great place to get some answers.”

The Knoxville Solar Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Krutch Park Extension, located on Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville, on Saturday, October 3, and features more than a dozen local solar industry experts and companies.

There will also be free workshops throughout the day in the nearby East Tennessee History Center Auditorium. Those begin with the:

“Solar 101″ workshop at 9:30 a.m., which lays out the basics of solar technologies and     their benefits;

A Home Efficiency workshop at 11 a.m. in the auditorium;

A Solar Site Assessment Demonstration Workshop (please meet at the Solar Fair     Information Booth) at 1 p.m.;

And a Financing Options workshop at 3 p.m. back in the History Center Auditorium.

The East Tennessee Solar Energy Self Guided Tour and Open House runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and includes 15 different locations where you can see how solar power is already changing the energy and sustainability landscape in the Knoxville area from Harriman and Andersonville to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The tour includes a terrific variety of solar powered sites ranging from homes and businesses to a horse barn, a pavilion and some floating cabins on Norris Lake. This year’s tour will also offer participants the option of touring four sites on buses sponsored by several local solar companies. The buses will depart from the Solar Fair at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Seats are limited and individuals interested in using the transportation should sign up at the Solar Fair Information Booth.

Saturday’s event is being held in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour, which is in its 14th year and involves more than 3,000 communities nationwide.

The Knoxville Solar Tour & Fair is sponsored by the City of Knoxville’s Solar Cities Program and local solar industry companies and organizations including The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Green Earth Services, Retro Mow, Sustainable Future, Kemery Company, Efficient Energy of Tennessee and FLS Energy.

Selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of only 25 Solar America Cities, Knoxville is working with partners like the DOE, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville Utilities Board, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Department of Community Development to remove the barriers to solar deployment in the city. For more information about the program please go to www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/solar/.

Information about the 2009 Knoxville Solar Tour & Fair, including schedules and a tour map, is also available at www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/solar/.