WASHINGTON, DC – Next week, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) third Solar Decathlon will bring students from 20 of the world’s leading universities to Washington, DC, to transform the National Mall into a solar village.  In preparation for a fierce competition that will take place from October 12 – 20, teams will begin on Wednesday, October 3rd, assembling highly energy efficient homes powered entirely by the sun that are likely to help shape America’s clean energy future.  The Solar Decathlon complements President Bush’s Solar America Initiative, which seeks to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015.  This year, more than 100,000 people are expected to tour the solar village.

“President Bush believes technological innovation is key to increasing and diversifying our energy supply, helping ensure a growing and prosperous America and a cleaner environment,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said.  “The Solar Decathlon highlights ingenuity and entrepreneurial environmentalism as future engineers and architects produce homes that generate all the energy they need without sacrificing style and comfort.”

University-led teams will come from across the United States, Spain, Germany, and Canada to design, build, and operate the most efficient and attractive solar-powered homes.  Many of the solar power and building technologies that will be showcased on the National Mall are currently available for purchase and use.  Teams have worked for more than two years designing, building and testing their homes – this competition is the culmination of that work.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 (Home assembly):

• Teams assemble solar-powered homes on the National Mall (Members of the press are encouraged to visit teams and view home assembly, but during this time, homes are closed to the public.)
• DOE officials will be available for interviews regarding the Solar Decathlon.  Contact DOE Public Affairs to coordinate (202) 586-4940.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 (Event open to the public):

• The houses are open for tours weekdays from 11:00AM - 3:00PM and on weekends from 10:00AM – 5:00PM, except on Wednesday, October 17, when the village is closed for competition purposes.
• Members of the press/public are encouraged to participate in energy-efficient workshops, tour the houses and explore educational exhibits.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12:

• Opening Ceremony, 10:00AM (Further press details to follow).
• Following the opening ceremony, the 3rd Solar Decathlon competition officially begins and the Solar Village opens to the public.
• High-resolution photos and daily results of contests will be available on the Solar Decathlon website.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19:

• Teams will be judged in 10 areas encompassing architecture, engineering, livability, lighting, cooking, comfort, power generation for space heating and cooling, water heating, and appliances.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19:

• Awards Ceremony, 2:00PM (further press details to follow).
• DOE announces overall winner of third Solar Decathlon.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20:

• Last day for members of the press/public to tour homes.
   

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS of Colleges & Universities Competing in the 2007 SOLAR DECATHLON:

• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburg, PA) – “Plug and play” takes on a whole new meaning: the rooms can be upgraded or rearranged to suit the owner’s needs.
• Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) – This house will use a unique “Light Canopy,” a streamlined framework of steel trusses that support a photovoltaic system, solar water heating, and vegetated screens for shading.
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA) – This home embraces sunshine through a translucent roof and walls, while maintaining insulated comfort.
• Kansas Project Solar House (Kansas State University & University of Kansas) Manhattan, KS – This house will feature sustainably produced and reclaimed wood and extensive use of structural insulated panels.
• Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, MI) – This home will make use of local, sustainable materials, while including innovations like elecrochromic windows and a unique solar chimney.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) - Although MIT joins the competition for the first time with “Solar 7,” it is not without a legacy of building solar homes.  This year, MIT’s home aims to provide all the domestic needs of a small urban home.  MIT built its first solar home, “Solar 1,” in 1939 to serve as a platform to test air conditioning and power generation.
• New York Institute of Technology (New York, NY) – This house has a rooftop pond to simulate a geothermal well and incorporates smart house technology capable of recognizing a homeowner’s preferred settings based on a fingerprint scan.
• Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) – This team actually built two solar homes, one for the competition and one at Chief Dull Knife College in Montana.  Their home incorporates “materials of opportunity” including Pennsylvania bluestone and reclaimed slate.
• Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA) – This home offers unique bamboo I-beams and absorption chiller technology.
• Team Montréal (école de Technologie Supérieure, Université de Montréal, McGill University), Montréal, Quebec, Canada – This home is dynamically smart, incorporating computers to sense interior and exterior conditions and make changes to the home’s energy and cooling systems.
• Technische Universität Darmstadt (Darmstadt, Germany) – The German team’s home incorporates European design elements and technology.  Window shutters on some sides of the home double as solar energy cells.
• Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) - Texas A&M’s groHome uses an incremental building system that can be altered based on the needs of a family.
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Madrid, Spain) – This home incorporates use of a solar chimney and a “green wall,” a collection of vegetation placed vertically to provide shade and regulate temperature.
• Universidad de Puerto Rico (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) – This home is modeled on a single cell that is self-contained and sustainable; it integrates new technologies such as translucent siding, while including recycled wood for flooring and walls.
• University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) – This house includes a large bank of solar thermal tubes to heat and cool the house, which allows the flexibility of replacing one tube at a time instead of replacing an entire system.
• University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, CO) – Teams from the University of Colorado won the first two Solar Decathlon competitions.  This year’s house focuses on creating a marketable home; and is one part of a planned 2,100 square foot home.
• University of Illinois (Urbana, IL) – “Elementhouse” can be configured as a residence, field office, relief structure, or summer home.  The home’s building block modules can be moved and assembled by hand.
• University of Maryland (College Park, MD) – The University’s cutting-edge home will use a desiccant wall, which filters and reclaims rain water for further use.
• University of Missouri, Rolla (Rolla, MO) – This is Missouri’s third entry in the Solar Decathlon and this year’s home will feature a 12-foot folding glass wall that brings light indoors and can be removed to join spaces with an exterior deck.
• University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) – Texas’ “BLOOM House” reduces the focus on technology and encourages visitors to enjoy their surroundings.  While functioning as a high-tech building, this home was built using standard materials from home improvement stores.

CONTESTS:
The Decathlon’s prototype solar homes are zero-energy, yield zero carbon, and will include the latest high-tech solutions and money-saving benefits to consumers, without sacrificing comfort, convenience, and aesthetics.  Each house must also produce enough “extra” energy to power an electric vehicle.

This year, in addition to the largest number of competitors ever, the Solar Decathlon will include a new contest called “Market Viability,” which will evaluate each home’s market appeal, its ability to meet expectations of potential homeowners, and cost effectiveness of construction.

More than 30 jurors from industry and academia, representing a wide variety of building, engineering, architecture, and scientific backgrounds, will judge the competition.

Read more information on the Solar Decathlon.

Media contact(s):
Julie Ruggiero, (202) 586-4940