There will be teams from 20 universities around the US and the world with full sized demonstration homes that aimed at winning the decathlon competition that emphasizes energy efficiency and sustainability.
This from the Solar Decathlon website explains the decathlon:
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The next event will take place at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2011. Open to the public free of charge, visitors can tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.
Purpose
The Solar Decathlon:
- Educates student participants and the public about the many cost-saving opportunities presented by clean-energy products
- Demonstrates to the public the opportunities presented by cost-effective houses that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems that are available today
- Provides participating students with unique training that prepares them to enter our nation's clean-energy workforce.
There are some interesting looking projects this year, and it appears that this year there is quite a bit more detail on the features used in each project -- this is a very welcome improvement.
Have a look on the Teams link for each team for the Construction Documents.
This is the Schedule of Events...
The decathlon is at the National Mall's West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2011.
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| University of Calgary entry |
I'm going to try to take some time to go through each entry and pick out the features and projects that might of of particular interest to the Build-It-Solar folks.
Gary
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