On October 12, 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the 2007 Solar Decathlon student competition on the grounds of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the nine-day event, the public is invited to tour 20 solar-powered houses in the competition’s Solar Village. The decathlon continues through Saturday, October 20. Student teams are competing in 10 categories: architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort zone, appliances, hot water, lighting, energy balance, and getting around (powering an electric vehicle through the house’s solar electric system).
This year’s competition is the third for the Solar Decathlon, which takes place every two years, and university teams have continued to push the boundaries of house design, construction, use of materials, and solar technologies. “Maybe it’s partly the money—[each team chosen receives $100,000 in funding from DOE]—or maybe it’s also being third generation, but the houses this cycle are even better than what we’ve seen in the past,” says Richard King, the Solar Decathlon’s director and program manager.
High-tech details in the Technische Universität Darmstadt’s house include a phase-change paraffin material in walls and ceilings that store thermal energy, and automated window louvers with integrated solar cells that maximize shading and energy production on three sides of the building. Stephani L. Miller The program not only gives university students experience in working with and designing around solar power, it also raises public awareness that the technologies don’t have to make a home look homely. One of the biggest barriers to consumer acceptance of solar electric systems (also called photovoltaic or PV) and solar thermal systems in residential applications is the stigma of ’70s-era experimentations. Therefore design delight—architecture—figures prominently in the competition and is the first contest judged. It also offers the highest number of points possible—200—in any of the 10 contests. The engineering and market viability contests each offer up to 150 possible points. Teams can earn up to 100 points in the rest of the contests.
In addition to photovoltaic systems, solar thermal collectors, passive daylighting techniques, The University of Maryland’s Leaf House incorporates movable interior walls to enlarge the living area as needed, sliding glass doors that open the interior to the outdoors, and a smart-house network that monitors humidity, temperature, light, and whether doors are opened or closed, to maintain an ideal level of interior comfort. Stephani L. Miller and energy-efficient appliances and other mechanicals, many of the teams are using new and innovative technologies and concepts, such as electrochromic windows, insulating nanogels, phase-change materials that store and release thermal energy, and green (or vegetated) walls to reduce stormwater runoff. Two-time decathlon winner The University of Colorado at Boulder, for example, has incorporated two modified shipping containers in its house design; the University of Maryland team designed and fabricated a liquid dessicant wall system that dehumidifies the house’s interior and creates a relaxing waterfall feature in the living room.
The winners of the architecture contest were announced Monday, October 15. Germany’s Technische Universität Darmstadt (Technical University of Darmstadt) took first place, scoring 193.25 points; the University of Maryland secured second place with 189.5 points, and the Universidad Polytécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid) placed third with 187.5 points.
The contemporary design of Universidad Polytécnica de Madrid’s Casa Solar, which placed third in the architecture contest, is intended to appeal to the average American and demonstrate how energy-efficient technologies can be applied to single- and multi-family housing. Manufactured building techniques allow easy customization. One of the team’s objectives was to develop a prototype for commercial manufacturing. Stephani L. Miller Currently, the University of Maryland is in first place, followed by Technische Universität Darmstadt in second, Penn State in third, Georgia Tech in fourth, and the University of Texas at Austin in fifth place. The judging is far from over, however; several other components of the Solar Decathlon are still in progress and the winners will be announced over the next few days. You can follow the results of daily and category competitions at www.solardecathlon.org.
Thursday, October 18 is the competition’s Building Industry Day, and professionals in the building industry and related trades are invited to visit the competition to tour the houses and attend a variety of workshops. Also on the 18th, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will give a presentation on its forthcoming National Green Building Program, which will be officially introduced to the building industry in February 2008, at the International Builders Show. The NAHB’s session at the Solar Decathlon will review the new green building program and allow builders the chance to test the new web-based certification system.
Not having an architecture program didn’t stop the University of Missouri-Rolla from winning a spot in the Solar Decathlon. It’s solar house was designed by a team of engineering and history students, and is one of the few homes designed to appeal to the masses, not just to hard-core modernists. Stephani L. Miller Thinking the square footage constraints of the Solar Decathlon too limiting, the University of Colorado at Boulder’s team designed a house that is totals 2,100 square feet, but only transported and built the 700-square-foot central core of the house—contained within two modified shipping containers—for the competition. Stephani L. Miller
