Tours
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Tours are organized for the purpose of showing participants interesting sites close to the conference venue. The sites mainly focus on renewable energy applications, but can also demonstrate a unique local flavor. All tours depart from and return to the Rosen Centre Hotel. You must have a ticket to attend a tour. To get your tickets, please check in at the Congress registration desk 30 minutes before the published tour start time.
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 T01 - Florida Solar Energy Center and Kennedy Space Center Registration Price: $85, includes water and snacks Visit the renowned Florida Solar Energy Center, the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research, training, testing and certification institute in the United States. Spend the morning touring the FSEC complex - one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world. Then head to the Kennedy Space Center for lunch on your own and a tour of America's premier gateway to the universe. Your ticket includes a guided bus tour of the Space Center, movies and exhibits throughout the Visitor's Center. Minimum registrants needed: 10 T02 - Extreme Solar Tour This tour did not meet its minimum registration and has been cancelled.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 T03 - Gator Country Solar Safari This tour did not meet its minimum registration and has been cancelled. T04 - Solar Lakeland Registration Price: $80, includes special Florida style barbecue lunch. Head southwest for this tour of sites brought to you by Lakeland Electric, Florida's third largest public power utility. Your visit will first take you to Lake Parker Park, which features 15 solar-powered streetlights (off-grid) including those at its boat ramp. Next, you'll see a Zero Energy Home Prototype, designed to use zero net energy from the utility grid. The home was built in 1998, and extensive energy monitoring and results have since formed the basis for the national Zero Energy Homes program. Features include a solar water heater and PV system, along with other energy efficient measures. At your next stop you'll see utility-owned and installed metered residential solar water heaters. You'll view meter arrays and bill samples which provide the basis for solar thermal green pricing and Green Renewable Energy Credits — the first solar thermal RECs in the country . Next, you'll see George Jenkins Sr. High School , which has three PV systems provided under the Florida PV for Schools program, and finally, you'll stop at the Lakeland Electric Administration Center for a presentation by Lakeland Electric staff highlighting tour stops with more detail. Minimum registrants needed: 10 MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 9, & 10 T05, T06, T07 - The Not So Big Show House Registration Price: $30 NOTE: All three of these tours are the same - pick the date that works best for you! The Not So Big Show House is a demonstration house that was initially constructed for the International Builders Show. The focus of the home is to incorporate character and beauty with healthy, "green" materials, energy-efficient appliances, and high-quality, environmentally appropriate furnishings. The show house is an excellent example of a well-built, exquisitely detailed, sustainable home. Solar systems have been implemented in the show house to serve both electrical and hot water heating needs. A photovoltaic array was donated by BP Solar for electrical needs and a water heating system was donated by Solar Energy Incorporated. Ron Jones, Founder and Partner of Green Builder®, a leading development and consulting company focused on sustainable growth, will act as tour guide and elaborate on the features of the solar systems as well as the other green attributes of the house, emphasizing the whole-systems approach that was implemented by the show house designers. NOTE: Bus will leave the Rosen Centre Hotel for the Not So Big Show House every hour from 10:30am to 12:30pm, with the last return trip leaving the house at 2:00pm. Minimum registrants needed: 10 FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 T08 - Tampa Bay Desalination Facility Tour NOTE: The Tampa Bay Desalination Facility has been closed to tours for the next eighteen months due to technical difficulties. This tour has been cancelled. T09 - Solar Town Tour - PV This tour did not meet its minimum registration and has been cancelled T10 - Solar Town Tour - Homes This tour did not meet its minimum registration and has been cancelled Monday, August 8 AP01 - All-day Outlet and Mall Shopping Trip Registration Price: $35 includes transportation You'll love this shopping trip to the Belz Outlet Mall and the enclosed Florida Mall! Claiming to be the largest factory outlet mall in the U.S., the Belz Outlet Mall and Designer Factory Outlet complex has 170 famous name brand stores offering huge savings to shoppers on clothes, electronics, appliances and much, much more. After a morning of bargain hunting, the bus will pick up the group at 12:30 p.m. and take you the short drive to the Florida Mall for lunch on your own at one of the many restaurants and then an afternoon of shopping at more than 250 department stores and specialty boutiques in this enclosed mall that is very popular with tourists and locals alike. The bus will leave at 4 p.m. to return to the hotel. Tuesday, August 9 AP02 - Scenic and Cultural Tour of Winter Park Registration Price: $45 includes transportation, boat ride, and admission to museum Visitors seeking flora and fauna or seeking an off-the-beaten-path travel experience will enjoy the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour. Located on Lake Osceola in a quiet suburb less than 10 minutes from downtown Orlando, the boat tour offers hour-long, guided cruises through three of the seven lakes and two narrow man-made canals on the tranquil Winter Park chain. Breathtaking views of cranes swooping waterside, lazy alligators and opulent private homes and exquisite estates sprawling along the shores are key features of the scenic cruise. Following the boat tour, the bus will take the group the short drive to Park Avenue in historic downtown Winter Park where you can choose from a wide variety of restaurants for lunch on your own and browse the many shops. The group will then take the short walk down Park Avenue to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. This museum houses representative collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth century American painting, graphics and the decorative arts. Buses will leave at 3:30 to go back to the hotel. Wednesday, August 10 AP03 - Millennia Mall Registration Price: $30 includes transportation The Millennia Mall near downtown Orlando is one of the area's newest and largest enclosed shopping malls with 1.4 million square feet of shopping at more than 150 of the top national and international stores in the world, bringing high-end fashion retailing to Central Florida. The mall features many leading "up-scale" stores as well as popular department stores and specialty shops. Among the stores are Banana Republic, Bloomingdale's, Burberry, Coach, Godiva Chocolatier, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Sharper Image, and Tiffany & Co. You'll enjoy the dramatic architecture and innovative uses of water and technology throughout this beautiful shopping center. |
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