Without the tireless and unsung efforts of the sun, crops would lay dormant, raisins would still be grapes, and bottles of sunless tanner would only be used to spray-paint walls with flesh-colored graffiti. Learn to harness the power of Earth's bounteous fireball with today's Groupon: for $5, you get a ticket for a one-day admission to the 2011 Northwest Solar Expo (a $10 value). This year's expo will be held April 29–May 1 at the Oregon Convention Center in downtown Portland.

Presented by the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, the NW Solar Expo brings together academics, advocates, and industry insiders for three full days of green and clean cultural cross-pollination. Now in its sixth year, the NW Solar Expo is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, hosting an eclectic and edifying schedule of technical training, more than 25 professional seminars, and ethanol-infused cooking lessons. Learn about new solar technologies such as electric bicycles and solar-powered cooking at Innovation Central, or learn how to harness the subtleties of solar power on a limited budget. With more than 80 companies and organizations and more than 100 solar- and clean-technology products and services, the green gurus at the NW Solar Expo will help to navigate the incentives and tax credits available when going solar, as well as explain why the sun is so darn hot. Peruse the expo's schedule of events, then pick the right day and time for your solar sojourn.