In mid-September, 19 teams of talented university students traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fifth U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon at the National Mall's West Potomac Park. The teams represent 13 U.S. states, five countries and four continents. Competing in 10 categories over nine days, the Solar Decathlon challenges each team to design, build and operate the most attractive, functional and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Teams accrue points based on how well their houses perform in the 10 categories, each worth 100 points. Once teams are scored in all ten categories, the team with the highest total number of points is declared the winner of the Solar Decathlon and receives the championship trophy.
Competition categories:
1. Architecture
2. Market Appeal
3. Engineering
4. Communications
5. Affordability
6. Comfort Zone
7. Hot Water
8. Appliances
9. Home Entertainment
10. Energy Balance
The final results for Architecture and Affordability were announced this week. Congratulations to two of the teams using SunPower panels - Middlebury College for placing 4th in Architecture and Purdue University for tying for 1st place in Affordability!
Long-term planning and determination is key to participating in the competition. Teams started preparing more than two years in advance. Check it out - their work is impressive and inspiring.
With homes designed for the energy needs of the average household, the Solar Decathlon aims to help visitors learn about the benefits of applying sustainable, energy efficient and cost-saving features to their own homes.
The public is invited to tour the houses for free through Oct. 2. If you haven’t had a chance to tour the 2011 Solar Decathlon homes at West Potomac Park, make time for it this week or over the weekend.
For those of you who live too far away to go in person, we are happy to bring the Solar Decathlon to you. Take a look at our Solar Decathlon 2011 Facebook album to see photos of this year’s innovative and sustainable homes and follow us on Twitter for updates.
Six Solar Decathlon 2011 teams selected our high efficiency, high reliability SunPower solar systems for their homes:
Competition categories:
1. Architecture
2. Market Appeal
3. Engineering
4. Communications
5. Affordability
6. Comfort Zone
7. Hot Water
8. Appliances
9. Home Entertainment
10. Energy Balance
The final results for Architecture and Affordability were announced this week. Congratulations to two of the teams using SunPower panels - Middlebury College for placing 4th in Architecture and Purdue University for tying for 1st place in Affordability!
Long-term planning and determination is key to participating in the competition. Teams started preparing more than two years in advance. Check it out - their work is impressive and inspiring.
With homes designed for the energy needs of the average household, the Solar Decathlon aims to help visitors learn about the benefits of applying sustainable, energy efficient and cost-saving features to their own homes.
The public is invited to tour the houses for free through Oct. 2. If you haven’t had a chance to tour the 2011 Solar Decathlon homes at West Potomac Park, make time for it this week or over the weekend.
For those of you who live too far away to go in person, we are happy to bring the Solar Decathlon to you. Take a look at our Solar Decathlon 2011 Facebook album to see photos of this year’s innovative and sustainable homes and follow us on Twitter for updates.
Six Solar Decathlon 2011 teams selected our high efficiency, high reliability SunPower solar systems for their homes:
- Team Florida International University (Florida International University) with perFORM[D]ance House, selected the SunPower® E19 / 320 Solar Panels
- Team Illinois (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) with Re_home, chose the SunPower® E18 / 230 Solar Panels
- Team Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Massachusetts College of Art and Design) with 4D Home, featuring the SunPower® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
- Team Middlebury College (Middlebury College) with Self-Reliance, using the SunPower® E18 / 225 Solar Panels
- Team New York (City College of New York) with Solar RoofPod, selected the SunPower® E19 / 240 Solar Panels
- Team Purdue (Purdue University) with INhome, will install the SunPower® E19 / 238 Solar Panels
The winners of the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Solar Decathlon competitions used SunPower solar panels. SunPower panels offer the maximum power from a limited roof space, a key design requirement for the decathletes, as well as residences and businesses everywhere.
Interested in learning more about the SunPower teams at the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon? We are excited to host a series of guest blog posts about the six Solar Decathlon homes powered by SunPower at this year's competition.
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