Ten sites on the Middle Peninsula are participating in this year’s Hampton Roads Solar Tour—seven single-family homes, a farm, a historic gas station, and a transportation facility.

The self-guided tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. It is free of charge, but those wishing to participate must register in order to obtain a map to the sites.

The tour showcases homes and businesses that run on solar energy or that use renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Experts will be on hand at each site to answer questions.

The technologies on display range from the simplest—passive solar heating—to solar arrays that provide enough electricity to operate a home and even sell electricity back to the grid during peak operating hours.

The tour is sponsored by the Hampton Roads Solar Group, a committee of the U.S. Green Building Council—Hampton Roads.

The Miller home

Joe and Jeannie Miller of Gloucester built their passive solar...