Solar Decathlon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Solar Decathlon is an international architectural and engineering competition sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Competing colleges and universities build solar powered homes and operate them on the National Mall for 3 weeks. The inaugural competition took place in Sept-Oct 2002. The second Solar Decathlon was Sept. 29 - Oct.16, 2005. The Third Solar Decathlon will take place Fall 2007.
[edit] Contests in the Solar Decathlon
The ten contests [1] that form the Solar Decathlon are:
- Contest 1. Architecture (200 points)
- A jury of architects will evaluate the house in relation to the principles of firmness, commodity, and delight.
- Contest 2. Dwelling (100 points)
- A panel of judges, composed from the interior and industrial design professions, the building industry, writers, and the public, will measure the ability to design and build a house that will appeal to potential homebuyers and homebuilders. The panel will judge the home in terms of livability and “buildability.”
- Contest 3. Documentation (100 points)
- Three sets of drawings and submittals are analyzed to determine constructibility, system operation parameters and requirements, Rules and Regulations compliance, and code and design standards compliance.
- Contest 4. Communication (100 points)
- This contest is comprised of three Contest Activities. Communications experts will judge the Web Site Contest Activity. Public relations experts will judge the House Tours Contest Activity. Both sets of experts will also judge the Branding Effectiveness Contest Activity.
- Contest 5. Comfort Zone (100 points)
- Houses will be judged according to their interior comfort in addition to their indoor environment and air qualities. Interior comfort will be measured by a team’s ability to control temperature and humidity within narrow ranges inside the houses.
- Contest 6. Appliances (100 points)
- This contest measures the ability to meet the appliance energy use of the average American home. Teams must maintain a certain temperature in their refrigerators and freezers, power a washer and dryer for clothing, prepare cooked meals, clean dishes with a dishwasher, and supply energy for six hours of television and eight hours of computer use.
- Contest 7. Hot Water (100 points)
- Ten shower tests will be conducted during the competition week. A panel of judges will also evaluate the novelty and efficiency of the hot water system.
- Contest 8. Lighting (100 points)
- Houses will be judged according to their lighting efficiency, ability to deliver ample amounts of light, innovation, and aesthetics.
- Contest 9. Energy Balance (100 points)
- This contest measures the efficiency of a team’s solar electric (photovoltaic system) to meet all energy demands for the competition.
- Contest 10. Getting Around (100 points)
- This contest logs the number of miles that a team’s electric car can be driven using surplus energy from the house.
[edit] Competitors
The 19 competing universities in the 2007 Solar Decathlon are:
- Carnegie Mellon University (team page)
- Cornell University (team page)
- Darmstadt University of Technology (team page)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (team page)
- Kansas State University (team page)
- Lawrence Technological University (team page)
- University of Illinois (team page)
- University of Maryland (team page)
- University of Missouri–Rolla (team page)
- University of Texas at Austin (team page)
- Team Montréal (École de Technologie Supérieure, Université de Montréal, McGill University) (team page)
- Texas A&M University
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
- Universidad de Puerto Rico
- University of Colorado (team page)
- University of Cincinnati
- New York Institute of Technology (team page)
- Pennsylvania State University
- Santa Clara University
The 18 competing universities in the 2005 Solar Decathlon were:
- University of Texas at Austin (UT SolarD team page)
- California Polytechnic State University
- Canadian Solar Decathlon: Concordia University and Université de Montréal
- Cornell University (team page)
- Crowder College
- Florida International University
- New York Institute of Technology (team page)
- Pittsburgh Synergy: Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (team page)
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
- Universidad de Puerto Rico
- University of Colorado, Denver and Boulder winner 2002, 2005
- University of Maryland
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- University of Michigan
- University of Missouri–Rolla and Rolla Technical Institute
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Washington State University
