We have never been more excited to start a U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. In addition to welcoming 20 new collegiate teams and hundreds of new student decathletes to our 2013 competition, we are announcing a new site: the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. This venue will provide a stage worthy of displaying the teams’ energy-efficient, solar-powered houses to the world.

With each competition, entry into the Solar Decathlon becomes harder. For 2013, we reviewed twice as many proposals as we could accept—and all were well-written and compelling in their own right. We are so pleased with the caliber of the 20 new teams. They represent a passionate, dedicated group full of ideas and anxious to get started. We can’t wait to see their final designs!

The Orange County Great Park is an awesome venue for hosting the Solar Decathlon competition and exhibition. This is the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which the City of Irvine is turning into sustainable parkland for family recreation. The park features a paved runway on which we will build our solar village, which should make set-up for teams easier while providing a pleasant experience for visitors.

The Orange County Great Park will host the Solar Decathlon 2013 solar village.

The Orange County Great Park has tremendous potential to make Solar Decathlon 2013 bigger and better than ever. Add 20 collegiate teams brimming with new design innovations and a strong competitive spirit, and we are sure to have a spectacular event.

For information on how to get involved, please visit our sponsors page.

Richard King is director of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the new teams and the new location—Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California—for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.  

Solar Decathlon 2013 teams
The 20 student teams selected to participate in Solar Decathlon 2013 include nine returning teams, 11 new teams, and four international teams. Congratulations go to:

• Arizona State University and The University of New Mexico (Tempe, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico)
• Czech Technical University (Prague, Czech Republic)
• Hampton University and Old Dominion University (Hampton and Norfolk, Virginia)
• Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vermont)
• Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Missouri)
• Norwich University (Northfield, Vermont)
• Queens University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College (Kingston and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
• Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, California)
• Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology (Los Angeles, California)
• Stanford University (Palo Alto, California)
• Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, New Jersey)
• The Catholic University of America, George Washington University, and American University (Washington, DC)
• The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina)
• The University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College (El Paso, Texas)
• University of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
• University of Louisville, Ball State University and University of Kentucky (Louisville, Kentucky; Muncie, Indiana; and Lexington, Kentucky)
• University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
• Vienna University of Technology (Vienna, Austria)
• West Virginia University (Morgantown, West Virginia).

Conceptual designs submitted by these teams include a range of innovative building technologies such as smart home controls, building-integrated photovoltaics, energy-efficient building-envelope assemblies, and heat-recovery systems.

Solar Decathlon 2013 Location
Solar Decathlon 2013 will be held at the Orange County Great Park—a new event venue noted for its emphasis on sustainability.

Solar Decathlon 2013 will be held at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. (Photo courtesy of the Orange County Great Park Corp.)

The former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, is just south of Los Angeles and within easy driving distance of San Diego. The Orange County Great Park has direct freeway and rail access, making it easily accessible for more than 10 million Southern California residents.

Regularly hosting large-scale community events that accommodate 25,000 visitors per day, the Orange County Great Park is a multi-dimensional venue. It can easily accommodate the 20 Solar Decathlon 2013 competition houses and the special needs of the Solar Decathlon event. It features flexible space, ample visitor parking, existing facilities for large special events, and nearby services for visitors.

Carol Anna is the communications manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.