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Solar Decathlon

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Solar Decathlon Overview

The Solar Decathlon competition challenges twenty university teams from around the world to develop the best solar-powered house, achieving excellence in each of the following 10 contest areas:

  • Architecture
  • Market Viability
  • Engineering
  • Lighting Design
  • Communications
  • Comfort Zone
  • Hot Water
  • Appliances
  • Home Entertainment
  • Energy Balance
The 20 teams will transport their solar homes in October, 2009 to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the competition. The houses will be open for public tours. Winners of the 10 individual contests are announced daily and the overall winner will be decided at the end of the week.

Overview of the 2007 Solar Decathlon as seen from the Smithsonian Castle Roof

Overview of the 2007 Solar Decathlon as seen from the Smithsonian Castle Roof (Credit: Richard King/Solar Decathlon)

The Decathlon was conceived in 2002 by Richard King at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and has since run in both 2005 and 2007. The official Department of Energy is http://www.solardecathlon.org/.

The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and Nataional Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).