Solar Decathlon: Designs to Domesticate the Sun's Power

The summer sun beckons us toward lazy days at the beach, picnics in the park, and for the nimble, ambitious, architecturally apt and environmentally aware — a decathlon. And not the traditional kind. A cadre of teams from the United States, Canada, Germany and Spain are competing in a homebuilding decathlon. And they are making the most of the summer sun to do so.

The U.S. Department of Energy's third Solar Decathlon will be held Oct. 12-20, 2007, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in partnership with its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the event consists of 20 university teams selected by the DOE competing to design, build and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. 

The teams will compete against one another in 10 contests that test the teams’ abilities to produce electricity and hot water from solar panels to perform all the typical functions of home: turning on lights; cooking; washing clothes and dishes; powering home electronics; and maintaining a comfortable room temperature. These homes must also provide the power for an electric car. 

The National Mall in Washington, D.C. will once again serve as the site of the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathalon.

Each team will also be judged on its home's architecture, livability, and marketability; professional home builders will evaluate the market concept for each home. 

The DOE provides each team with a $100,000 stipend toward the construction of its solar home. The teams must raise the rest of the money they need to design, construct and transport the homes to Washington, D.C.

Teams for the 2007 competition have been working on the design, research and testing necessary to construct and power the homes for nearly two years.

“I am eager to see these students demonstrate how we can better harness clean and renewable solar energy to transform the way we power our homes and businesses,” says Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. 

Homes will be shipped to Washington, D.C., and starting Oct. 3, a solar village will come together. For nine days, the National Mall will be transformed into a showcase for cutting-edge solar and building technologies. An overall winning home will be announced Oct. 19. 

The NAHB; the U.S. Green Building Council; the American Institute of Architects; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers; BP; and Sprint are title sponsors of the event. Log onto www.solardecathlon.org to learn more about competing teams and their solar houses.

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