WASHINGTON, DC – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign today won the market viability contest in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall today. The team scored 114.35 out of 150 possible points in this contest which evaluates a home’s market appeal, cost-effective construction and integration of solar technology into its design.

“The market viability contest demonstrates that the highly efficient houses showcased at the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon can compete in the global marketplace,” Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner said. “Paired with market appeal, this competition reveals that solar-powered homes can be built efficiently at a cost-competitive price to Americans.”

In today’s contest the University of Maryland team placed second with 112.50 points and Pennsylvania State University placed third with 109.95 points.

Market viability is a new contest in the Solar Decathlon this year and evolved from the first two competitions held in 2002 and 2005. A jury of industry experts considered livability, buildability, and flexibility. Teams built their houses for a target market of their choosing and were asked to demonstrate the potential of their houses to keep costs affordable within that market. The ten Solar Decathlon contests measure many aspects of the homes’ performance, including architecture, engineering, lighting, comfort, operating appliances, water heating, etc.

With the market viability contest completed, scoring for the Solar Decathlon is nearly finished. Results from the final contest, engineering, will be announced tomorrow, Friday, October 19, at 2:00PM followed by an awards ceremony to announce the overall winner of this year’s Solar Decathlon.  At the end of the day Wednesday, the University of Maryland held the top spot in the overall standings with 695.18 points, followed by the German Technische Universität Darmstadt (671.50 points) and Pennsylvania State University (660.12points).

The ten contests that make up the Solar Decathlon measure many aspects of a home’s performance and appearance.  A perfect total score for all ten contests in the Solar Decathlon is 1,200 points.  Of the ten contests, Communications, as well as Lighting, Comfort Zone, Appliances, Hot Water, Energy Balance, and Getting Around are each worth up to 100 points.  The Architecture contest is worth up to 200 points, followed by Engineering and Market Viability, which are each worth up to 150 points and are scored subjectively.  Performance is measured and points are awarded daily through the competition and the standings are updated on the Solar Decathlon website.

The Solar Decathlon’s homes are zero-energy, yield zero carbon, and 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.  Many of the solar power and building technologies 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 – the Solar Decathlon is the culmination of that work.

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.  The U.S. Department of Energy is sponsoring this year’s Solar Decathlon, along with its National Renewable Energy Laboratory; the American Institute of Architects; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers; the National Association of Homebuilders; the U.S. Green Building Council; and private-sector sponsors BP and Sprint.   This year, more than 100,000 people are expected to tour the solar village.

Held on the National Mall in Washington, DC, DOE’s Solar Decathlon is open to the public through Saturday, October 20, 2007.  For full event information, current standings, and high-resolution photos, visit the Solar Decathlon website.

Media contact(s):
Kevin Brosnahan, 202/586-4940