Much like the World Track and Field Championships, which are held every other odd-numbered year and boast the world’s greatest athlete (i.e. the decathlon winner), the Solar Decathlon in Washington D.C. also takes place biannually on years ending in odd numbers. Two years ago, the team from Germany was victorious for the second straight competition. This year’s Solar Decathlon yielded a hometown winner. Nearby University of Maryland was announced as the victor by U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu.
The competition, which took place from September 22nd through the first of October, featured 19 teams. Many of the competitors were from universities in the United States, although there were several international teams as well. The “Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that 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 competition was first held in 2002, but as noted above, it “has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009.”
All homes built for the event were on display and open to the public at no cost over the course of the competition. According to the DOE, the purpose of the Solar Decathlon is to:
- Educates student participants and the public about the many cost-saving opportunities presented by clean-energy products
- Demonstrates to the public the opportunities presented by cost-effective houses that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems that are available today
- Provides participating students with unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean-energy workforce.
The houses compete in 10 contests, hence the Solar Decathlon. These include:
- Architecture contest
- Market Appeal contest
- Engineering contest
- Communications contest
- Affordability contest
- Comfort Zone contest
- Hot Water contest
- Appliances contest
- Home Entertainment contest
- Energy Balance contest
The winning house is both affordable and attractive, while being easy to live in. It also has to ensure healthy indoor environmental conditions and generate at least as much energy as it consumes, making it a net-zero home. Check out a virtual tour of the winning structure:
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