This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.
September 17, 2003
DOE Names 20 Teams to Compete in the 2005 Solar Decathlon
DOE announced on September 17th its selection of 20 university teams to compete in the 2005 Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon premiered in 2002 and pitted 14 teams of students against each other in a competition to design and build a solar-powered house. As in that first competition, the 2005 Solar Decathlon will again return to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where the teams will have to build their homes and then operate them for about a week using only solar energy. While nine of the teams that competed in 2002 will return in 2005, the 11 new teams will help to boost participation by more than 40 percent compared to 2002. The 2005 Solar Decathlon will include the first entry from Canada-Concordia University in Montreal-and a team from the Universidad PolitTcnica Madrid in Spain. See the DOE press release.
The Solar Decathlon is made up of ten contests, most of which focus on solar energy and energy efficiency, including space heating and cooling, lighting, hot water, refrigeration, and appliances. The contest awards additional credits for any extra energy a house can generate to charge an electric vehicle, allowing the "decathletes" to drive around town. A panel of architects and design professionals will also judge each entry on aesthetics and design integration. See the Solar Decathlon Web site.
