National Solar Tour

Stops in Stelle, Illinois

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2007

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Center for Sustainable Community, the Stelle Community Association, and several Stelle area residents are hosting the Stelle, Illinois stop on this year's National Solar Tour. Visitors can observe some of the latest solar technologies in several of the existing homes. You are free to arrive anytime after 10:00 and either walk around town on a map-assisted, self-guided tour or join us for any portion of our guided tours which begin at 10:30 am and 1:00 pm.

Stelle ‘Solar Home Tour' Highlights:

A Combination Solar Hot Water and Solar Electric Residential System (Mark & Rhonda Wilkerson's home)
A Combination Windmill and Solar Electric Powered Residential System (Steve & Jan Bell home)
Stelle's Solar Powered Phone Company
Various Other Homes using Different Solar Applications
Illinois’ first Straw Bale Home - includes solar and wind applications (Jon & June Haeme home)
10KW Bergey Wind Generator ( helps power the community water plant)

Schedule of Events
Offered by the Center for Sustainable Community

10:30 – 12:00 Overview of Stelle with Walking Tour
If your primary interest is in community, sustainability, and a desire to get to know more about Stelle, then you will enjoy our organized tour. You are welcome to join any part, or all of this tour. Mark Hoffman will give an overview of the community including a walking tour with stops at the solar powered telephone company, which also supplies high speed internet service, at the Wilkerson's home (see below), and at the Bergey wind generator which supplies power to the community's water treatment plant. You will have the opportunity to learn a little about Stelle's history and what makes the community unique today. Bring your questions. Tour starts at the Center for Sustainable Community office. (see map of Stelle). Click here for an article about Stelle's various renewable energy features.

11:30– 1:30 Lunch and refreshments (with a vegetarian option)
Offered in the Stelle Community Center by the Stelle Community Association

1:00 – 2:30 Overview of Stelle with Walking Tour
Renee Trenda will give the same tour as described above.

Steve and Jan Bell's home with solar panels and windmill.
(click on photo to enlarge)

We are pleased to have Steve Bell participating in our Solar Home Tour.

Steve is one of the top residential and commercial PV and Wind system design engineers in the US today and walks across the street daily to his work at Sunwize Technologies. Steve will be available throughout the day to talk with visitors about his home and some of the more technical aspects of solar and wind technology. (Click here to view a Home Power article on Steve and Jan's home.)

Mark and Rhonda Wilkerson Home
Mark is the regional vice-president for Sunwize Technologies and operates Sunwize's Midwest regional office located in Stelle. Mark and Rhonda recently completed construction of their new home, combining photo-voltaic with solar hot water. Mark will give a full tour of their home that includes an overview of what has transpired over the last 30 years in regards to the availability, cost and efficiency of solar panels and batteries.

Jon and June Haeme's Strawbale Home with PV
Visitors will travel 3½ miles to the Haeme's home to tour the first strawbale home built in Illinois. Jon works as a private contractor specializing in PV istallations and used his solar powered work trailer to power all his tools to build the home. About 30 residents of Stelle helped Jon and June stack the strawbales in a single day. Jon will be available throughout the day to talk with visitors about his home, including its solar systems and its energy saving features.
(Click here to view a Home Power article about Jon and June's home.)

4:00 Tour is concluded
(The schedule is subject to variation and the times stated are our best guesstimates.)

Enjoy Your Day

Before traveling to Stelle be sure to print the map and directions from this website. The internet map services are not always accurate. There's only one entrance to Stelle - someone will be greeting all guests, handing out Solar Tour Maps and available to answer any questions.

Bring your friends and an appetite for information about solar and wind energy.

If you have any questions you may call 815-256-2204 or email csc@stelle.net. No reservations or pre-registration are necessary, except that larger groups (12 or more) are encouraged to call or email ahead.