FARMINGTON – Registrations for a free program that will explore practical uses of solar, wind and geothermal sources as well as common weatherization solutions are being accepted.

The program, Power Now: Energy Solutions for Farms, Homes and Small Businesses, will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in Olsen Student Center at the University of Maine at Farmington. The program is open to the public but organizers are requesting registrations to prepare for the event.

Vendors who work with energy technologies will participate in a panel presentation beginning at 6:15 p.m., but then participants can move into sessions to learn more about technologies that interest them, said Trish Cook from Western Mountains Alliance. The alliance has teamed with the University of Maine at Farmington’s Sustainable Campus Coalition, Somerset County Cooperative Extension and Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District to host the program.

“The sessions give a better understanding of what these technologies are and how they work as well as cost-related issues,” Cook said.

A calculating worksheet or payback calculator provided by the UMF Sustainable Campus Coalition will help people determine technologies that make the most sense or be the best option for them. The worksheet will help people figure the return on their investment based on their own situations, she said.

Area vendors who sell energy technology items, including energy auditor Richard Mitchell from Maine Energy Savers in Phillips, will set up displays around the room and demonstrate products and services prior to the panel discussion.

For more information about the program or to register, call the Western Mountains Alliance at 778-3885 or [email protected]