An example of the student-built solar homes,Technische Universitat Darmstad

How About a Solar Home or Two?

December 2007 / January 2008 Volume 5 Number 6

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What passers-by of the National Mall saw during several weeks in October was not lingering remnants of Coxey's Army or the Bonus Marchers but rather solar homes erected almost overnight by teams from 20 universities. They participated in the 2007 Solar Decathlon sponsored annually by the Department of Energy.

The mission was to design, build and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar homes. The students competed in 10 areas, ranging from architecture, livability and comfort, to how well the homes provided energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, lighting and appliances. Technische Universitat Darmstadt in Germany earned 888.45 points out of a possible 1,200 to win the competition, followed by University of Maryland with 872.45 points and Santa Clara University with 860.80 points.

The decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency and the best in home design.

The 20 teams transported their solar houses to the competition site and virtually rebuilt them in the solar village. Teams assemble their houses, and then the active phase of the Solar Decathlon began with an opening ceremony for students, media and invited guests. The teams were obliged to power their structures entirely from the sun, therefore stretching every last watt of electricity that's generated by the solar panels on their roofs.