PORT ANGELES -- An opportunity to learn about renewable energy sources is coming to Port Angeles.
From noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 21, Olympic Climate Action will host Sun Day: A Celebration of Renewable Energy at City Pier.
"We're joining the rest of the renewable energy community across the country to recommit our ideas about moving forward toward solutions to climate change and global warming," Olympic Climate Action President Brian Grad said. "We want to give people information about products and technologies they can use to lower their carbon footprint."
Included in the exposition will be technologies from local businesses, according to a press release.
* Electric vehicles ranging from compact cars to trucks that can power a construction site or a home in an emergency.
* Electric bikes for work, play and the whole family, ranging from pedal assist to full power.
* Home and garden tools of every description, often using interchangeable, powerful battery systems.
* Home appliances that can reduce bills and enhance comfort.
* Heat pump systems that can either heat or cool a home for a fraction of the energy cost of traditional technologies; the cooling function can make your house a haven from summertime wildfire smoke.
"We also have an essay contest that we're pretty excited about," Grad said. "There will be a certificate of recognition, we're going to have some prizes."
For the essay contest, students in second through fifth grades will submit a 50-word paragraph with a drawing on the topic of climate change and renewable energy while students in sixth through 12th grades will submit a 250-word essay on the same topic.
More details can be found at olyclimate.org/2025/08/22/celebrate-green-consumer-technologies-at-sun-day.
The deadline to submit essays is Sept. 15. They can be submitted at the Port Angeles Public Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., or mailed to Grad at Olympic Climate Action, 245 Jake Way, Sequim, WA 98382, or emailed to [email protected].
Entries should include the child's name, grade and phone number so winners can be called. Questions can be emailed to [email protected] or [email protected].
The event also will feature exhibitors, Grad said.
"We're hoping to have some guest speakers, including maybe one or two PUD commissioners talking about what the PUD is doing to incorporate renewables into the community," he said. "We're hoping Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will come and talk about their work. They've been tasked with working with ocean systems and they do things like experiment with devices that use wave energy and tidal energy and currents."
This is Grad's first time planning a Sun Day, but it's part of a national effort, he said.
"Sun Day is a day of action on Sept. 21, 2025, celebrating the power of clean energy," according to sunday.earth. "The clean energy revolution is here. Solar, wind and batteries are the cheapest form of power on the planet, lowering costs, creating new jobs, and strengthening our communities. But some politicians and industries are trying to hold it back. On Sept. 21, we'll celebrate the progress we've made and push for more. We'll install new solar, host e-bike parades, give heat pump tours, and rally for change. Together, we'll make the sun rise on our clean energy future."
The national effort is organized by "a coalition of grassroots organizations, clean energy experts, solar industry and worker organizations, schools, affordable housing, farmers, and creative partners," according to sunday.earth.
Sept. 21 was chosen because it's the solar equinox, the website states, and also because it "is right before the U.N. General Assembly's annual meeting, which means we have an opportunity to send a message to U.S. and world leaders on the urgent need to accelerate and scale-up the just transition to clean energy."
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at [email protected].