Eight Middle Peninsula homes and a business that use solar energy and green design will be on tour next Saturday, Oct. 6, during the Hampton Roads Solar Group’s 2012 Solar Tour. The tour will also be held on Oct. 6 on the Southside and on Oct. 7 on the Peninsula.

The free, self-guided open-house tour showcases over three dozen homes and businesses that run on solar energy at selected sites in Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. Experts will be on hand at each site to answer questions.

There will even be a converted electric 1969 VW Beetle with a 96-volt, three-phase AC motor on display at one Gloucester home.

The tour is sponsored by the Hampton Roads Green Building Council and coordinated by the American Solar Energy Society. It is part of the 17th annual National Solar Tour.

In order to participate, register online at http://hrsolartour.com or call 757-851-5085 or 757-961-7723.

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