This international student competition on the National Mall will highlight innovation
and the future of green jobs.
TheU.S.
Department of Energyannounced this year’s participants and dates for the 2009
Solar Decathlon, a competition that challenges students to design and develop
houses that can provide their own energy from sunlight. The 20 collegiate
teams from the United States,
Canada, Spain and Germany will each build a
completely self-sufficient solar powered house, showcasing energy-efficient
amenities and smart home systems that provide reduced carbon emissions without
sacrificing the comfort of modern conveniences.
DOE’s
Solar Decathlon, which takes place Oct. 9-18 on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., consists of 10 individual contests that evaluate the teams’ skills
in architecture, home design and communications. The homes constructed by the
teams must produce enough electricity and hot water from solar panels to
perform all the normal functions of a home - from powering the lights; to
cooking, washing clothes and dishes; to powering home electronics; and maintaining
a comfortable temperature.
This year, a new
net-metering contest will evaluate each home’s ability to produce its own
power. The competition focuses on cutting edge energy efficient and
renewable energy innovation while providing a unique green jobs training
opportunity for each of the students.
The
start of the competition marks the culmination of more than two years of hard
work by the student teams. The 20 teams will assemble their homes on the
National Mall in early October. Following the Opening Ceremony Oct. 8, the
homes will be open for public tours Oct. 9-13 and 15-18.
This
is DOE’s fourth Solar Decathlon competition since premiering in 2002 with
subsequent competitions in 2005 and 2007. On average, each Solar Decathlon
competition has drawn more than 100,000 visitors to the National Mall. For more
information, visitwww.solardecathlon.org.
