Two Sunshine State institutes of higher education will play host to a late February 2011 stop by a group highlighting examples of renewable energy, according to published reports.

The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy will visit the University of Florida and the Santa Fe College on February 25. The Alliance will take a tour, which sees it viewing a Town Hall event that features local and state legislators and industry experts, all of whom will discuss the state of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Florida.

The 2011 Renewable Energy Tour will visit 10 cities in Florida, highlighted by Gainesville, which is recognized as the center of the state's renewable energy efforts.

"The city of Gainesville is the state's leader in renewable energy," according to Mike Antheil, executive director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. "The massive job creation and economic growth in the city and surrounding areas is a clear result of when renewable energy is encouraged to thrive and grow."

Of the advances that solar energy has influenced in Gainesville, Antheil said: "They deserve their economic success and their courage should be an inspiration to local and state leaders in every corner of the state."