Solar Decathlon 2009

(Pictured here is Carnegie Mellon University's 2007 Entry.)

The U.S. Department of Energy hosts the Solar Decathlon this October in Washington, DC. The Solar Decathlon is a competition between 20 teams of university students from around the world that design, build, and effectively demonstrate a solar-powered house.

Projects are judged not only on their energy efficiency, but also on aesthetics. Students must design a home from the ground up, build it, and implement functioning technologies. The teams will construct the homes on the National Mall October 8-16, creating a "Solar Village." The houses will be open to the public from October 9-13.

Universities represented include: Cornell University, Iowa State University, Penn State, Rice University, Team Alberta (University of Calgary/SAIT Polytechnic/Alberta College of Art & Design/Mt. Royal College), Team Boston (Boston Architectural College/Tufts University), Team California (Santa Clara University/California College of the Arts), Team Missouri (Missouri University of Science and Technology/University of Missouri), Team Ontario/BC (University of Waterloo/Ryerson University/Simon Fraser University), The Ohio State University, The University of Arizona, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, University of Illilois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Kentucky, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Virginia Tech.

See a preview of Virginia Tech' entry here: http://www.lumenhaus.com/

To learn more about the Solar Decathlon, visit: http://www.solardecathlon.org/