Mark your calendar! The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 will take place Oct. 3–13, 2013, at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.

The competition houses will be open to visitors on eight days over two weekends. Public hours will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily: 

• Thursday, Oct. 3–Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013
• Thursday, Oct. 10–Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013.

This free event will showcase 20 highly efficient, solar-powered houses in a specially constructed solar village at the Orange County Great Park. Visitors can gather ideas to use in their own homes and learn about energy-saving features and products that can help them save energy and money.

For more information, see the Orange County Great Park’s media release.

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

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.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeking a new location for Solar Decathlon 2013. DOE hopes to provide other communities with the opportunity to host the competition and share the economic and education and outreach benefits of the event.

Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has been held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it has successfully showcased energy-efficient housing and clean energy technologies. For Solar Decathlon 2013, DOE is seeking a new venue. The event will promote the outreach, education, and economic benefits of energy security, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. By showcasing these technologies, the event should help launch workforce development and renewable energy activities in the area that hosts the Solar Decathlon. In addition, the event should stimulate the local economy by bringing in tourism dollars from those attending.

Through DE-FOA-0000521: 2013 Solar Decathlon and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Showcase Event, DOE intends to partner with a recipient that will host Solar Decathlon 2013. Ideally, this partnership will include appropriate city, state, and local governments.

Initial concept papers are due Nov. 7, 2011. For additional information, see the full text of DE-FOA-0000521: 2013 Solar Decathlon and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Showcase Event. Questions should be directed to solardecathlon@go.doe.gov.

Amy Vaughn is the web coordinator of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy is considering offers for a new site for Solar Decathlon 2013. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate students from across the globe to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. For the first time, in an effort to expand the excitement generated by the competition and encourage participation from new communities, the Department is inviting venues across the nation to compete for the opportunity to host this award-winning event. The Solar Decathlon has attracted thousands of people to experience first-hand the benefits of homes that incorporate clean energy technologies, and, as a collegiate competition, supports the Obama Administration’s comprehensive efforts to build a 21st century clean energy economy by helping to train the next-generation of American engineers and architects.

“The Solar Decathlon challenges the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to become pioneers of clean energy technology and efficient building design,” said Secretary Chu.  “This is a great opportunity for these talented students to showcase cutting edge technologies that will change the way we build homes and save families money.”

The Solar Decathlon provides participating students with unique training to enter our Nation’s clean energy workforce. As part of the Obama Administration’s larger goal to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and maintain a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce, DOE creates and supports initiatives that engage students to learn about energy technologies and issues. The Solar Decathlon is one such workforce development program designed to educate and train university-level students who will build their careers in the clean energy sector. The contest also fosters greater adoption of clean energy technologies and energy efficient construction techniques that help America compete in the global marketplace.

The Solar Decathlon has been held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. since 2002.  The competition and public demonstration has been very successful in showcasing energy efficient housing and clean energy technologies in the metropolitan Washington area. The solicitation announced today will allow DOE to consider a new venue to host Solar Decathlon 2013. For more detailed information on the solicitation, click here and search for reference number DE-SOL-0003159.

Solar Decathlon 2011 will take place at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., September 23 through October 2, 2011. This year’s competition will be the Department’s fifth Solar Decathlon; previous events were held in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009.  Open to the public free of charge, the Solar Decathlon enables visitors to tour the houses and learn about money-saving clean-energy solutions for their own homes.