Solar Decathlon

This is a really great thing to go to. The goal:

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

The winner this year was the University of Maryland:

A green home designed and built by University of Maryland students took top overall honors in this year’s U.S. Energy Department Solar Decathlon, which aims to showcase innovative and affordable solar-powered homes.

U-Md.’s winning home, WaterShed, was inspired by the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. It features a green roof that provides insulation and a system that filters sink and shower water, recyling it for use in wetland gardens that run the length of the house.

Here's a link for more information on the house.

Here are some pictures from the competition.

Solar Decathlon, Part II

I thought this was just a fantastic house. The outside of the house has just a wonderful line. The inside was just beautiful as the pictures below show.

Solar Decathlon, Part III

Another one of my favorite houses was from Team Tidewater which was made up of Old Dominion and Hampton Universities. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the outside but here are pictures of the inside. This is really a house that you could see people living in. Here's a link to their site. for more information.

The winner is . . .

First Place: Technische Universität Darmstadt

Here's a link to the official Solar Decathlon site. Follow this link to see how all the participants did.













































The shutters have solar panels on each of the slats.

Solar Decathlon Winner

Here's a postcard from the winner and a link to their site.

Solar Decathlon

A very unique event has come to Washington the Solar Decathlon. Twenty universities from around the world are competing for a prize from the Department of Energy on who can build the most efficient solar house. Here's an article from the Post on the competition. As another article states:

If you've been to the Mall recently, you may have noticed a big change: Twenty houses have sprouted up in the past few weeks.

The structures, striking examples of modern design, are part of the third Solar Decathlon, a project of the Department of Energy. Student teams from 20 universities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Germany and Spain are vying to construct the most livable, attractive and energy-efficient houses that run entirely on solar power. Through Saturday, you can peek inside their creations.

Designed and built over two years, the 500- to 800-square-foot houses have been transported from their respective campuses and reassembled to form a solar village. They boast fully functioning kitchens and bathrooms, plus central air conditioning, heating and hot water powered by photovoltaic panels. They also employ such green features as recycled building materials, modular construction and energy-efficient appliances; some of these are already on the market, while others represent the cutting edge of green building technologies.

It's good to know that there is at least some attempt underway in this country to address alternative fuels and how they can be used in everyday life.

Solar Decathlon II

Here are a couple of brochures from houses that I visited.





This was my favorite house of those I visited. I'm hoping to get back next weekend to see who won.