Samuel Mikhail, team leader of Team New York (City College of New York), celebrates the diversity of his team during the All-Team Meeting. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Filled with energy and excitement, the student teams gathered the All-Team Meeting tonight to kick off the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. The teams—representing 13 U.S. states, five countries, and four continents—received an enthusiastic send-off from Solar Decathlon organizers and sponsors in preparation for the assembly phase of the competition, which begins later tonight.

Over a buffet dinner, Melissa Segil of Middlebury College explained how the Solar Decathlon has had a powerful impact on her education.

“I’ve learned more on this one project than I have in four years of college,” Melissa said. “Each of our team members worked to construct our house. The Solar Decathlon is an amazing hands-on educational experience.”

Members of Team China (Tongji University) greet decathletes from other Solar Decathlon teams at the All-Team Meeting. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Over the next seven days, the teams will work around the clock to build their highly energy-efficient, solar-powered houses at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park. The Solar Decathlon opens to the public on Friday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m.

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

Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted from DOE’s Energy Blog.

In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon—which challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive—we are profiling each of the 20 teams participating in the competition.

New York City’s famously dense urban landscape presents a challenge to developers hunting for a bit of unoccupied space to build on. Team New York believes it’s identified the most underutilized real estate in the entire city—flat rooftops, where space and access to sunlight are plentiful. 

More specifically, the Solar Decathlon team, composed of architecture and engineering students from The City College of New York, has designed a house for rooftops of mid-rise buildings—both residential and commercial. The students envision their house, dubbed the Solar Roofpod, as a prototype that can be replicated in densely populated areas around the country.

A Solar Trellis—equipped with both a solar array and solar thermal collectors that will distribute the sun’s heat through a radiant floor system—acts as the primary power source for the house.

For quick assembly, the building envelope is constructed of 64 heavily insulated building blocks, mass-produced in prefabrication facilities. The prefabricated assembly helps keep costs down and allows for easy transportation—via a building roof, staircase, or elevator.  Additional elements such as occupancy sensors, energy-efficient lighting, and an energy-efficient HVAC system reduce overall energy consumption.

Students envision two future scenarios for their prototype house post-competition—either as a visitor center and classroom for sustainability education or as part of the school’s planned environmental science center on Pier 26 in Tribeca along the Hudson River.

Erin Pierce is an energy technology program specialist at the Department of Energy.