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Team California won the Solar Decathlon in Washington D. C., for Architecture and Communications, and the University of Lousiana at Lafayette for won for Market Viability. More categorical wins will be announced.
The Solar Decathlon houses will be open in the National Mall for public tours 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. All homes solar decathlon homes will be closed Wed., Oct. 14
The days of the science fair being a geek hangout for socially rejected nerds is over. Today the next teenage entrepreneur could be fooling around with enamels and models at home this minute. A green empire could be waiting for the next generation inventor of solarity and homes together.
This week the geek green freaks converged for top honors in the Solar decathlon, where the sun uses its msucle to power green spec homes. The village on the National Mall looked like a sci fi fanfic out of classic Trek: dozens of unusually shaped buildings lined the solar streets with solar panels protruding from their rooftops.
Nothing is more needed on every continent right now than inexpensive sustainable shelter. Energy and materials blow up the expenses no matter how you slice the project. For this focused sum content statement of solarity, undergraduates worked as long as two years to plan, design and build the solar-powered houses.
The Solar Decathlon is a biennial contest designed to spur college students making temporary homes as an inroad to to pursue careers in science and engineering. Working on solar projects develops green technologies and raises public awareness of energy efficiency issues.
Teams of students compete internationally from U.S. schools, and groups from Spain, Germany and Canada. Team California (Santa Clara University and the California College of the Arts) focused on building a practical house that does not skimp on comfort. The result is two wins thus far.
One home has 48 solar panels carefully angled to be nearly hidden from view. Themes like the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign model emphasized motto of “conserve, conserve, conserve.”
Their barn design, certified as using 90% less energy than the average home, accomplished this goal by heavily insulating the house and making it almost airtight to keep the warm air inside and the cold air out. This type of envelope receive high energy scores in the “real world”.
Teams receive $100,000 from the host sponsor, the U. S. Energy Department. As in real green business life, the real cost of building can be much higher. Team California’s house cost about $450,000.
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[...] This image was taken at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington D.C. in the National Mall. The photo opportunities in the shadow of the Washington Monument were stellar. But the curvilinear buildings and the unique, one-of-a-kind solar home models built by each team would have been each one an incredible venue and access triumph. [...]
This reminds me of this quote: “Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.” Karen Horney