The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon’s influence is expanding around the world. This competition, we have international teams from Belgium, Canada, China, and New Zealand that bring different perspectives and add to the debate about how to design sustainable homes. We love their fresh approaches and cultural influences. Even the cricket games in New Zealand’s side yard, which just happens to be a softball diamond, adds a twist to the neighborhood.

Representatives of several countries met to discuss international Solar Decathlon competitions. (Credit: Richard King/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Solar Decathlon competitions are also expanding internationally. The first Solar Decathlon Europe took place in Madrid, Spain, last year, and its organizers are planning to hold the second one next year. Solar Decathlon Europe was very successful, with 190,000 visitors and 17 houses that were innovative and stunningly beautiful. The competition captured the hearts and minds of Europe, and now other countries are interested in hosting Solar Decathlon Europe 2014. For example, we have received a wonderful offer from France to host the next Solar Decathlon Europe in Versailles.

This January, the Department of Energy and the National Energy Administration in China signed a memorandum of understanding to hold the first Solar Decathlon China. The competition will be organized in part by Peking University. Ten cities submitted bids to hold the event, and the city of Datong was selected. Its proposal stated that the city would build a renewable energy theme park around the Solar Decathlon village with hotel space and transportation for the students and the general public.  It also is offering to purchase some of the houses so they can be on permanent display in the renewable theme park.

Other countries are also interested in holding their own Solar Decathlons. Representatives from Australia and South Africa visited us this week to learn about this year’s Solar Decathlon. They gathered information to take back to their governments to try to develop competitions on their continents.

It is gratifying to know that the event is growing worldwide and helping educate an ever-increasing number of people. That’s the best way to win in the long run.

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

Solar Decathlon Europe organizers accept the Sustainable Energy Europe Award for Communicating. (Courtesy of the European Union Sustainable Energy Week)

Solar Decathlon Europe was honored last week by the European Commission with a Sustainable Energy Europe Award in the Communicating category. The annual awards reward best-in-class initiatives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in the European Union. More than 300 initiatives were considered in this year’s competition.

The Communicating category recognizes projects “that create awareness about … energy challenges, that change perceptions, and that bring about endorsement of energy efficiency and/or renewable energy.”

The jury recognized Solar Decathlon Europe for:

• Providing an excellent learning experience to university students and therefore fostering the research and innovation skills of European youth
• Showing the potential of collaboration between the public sphere and the business world — especially in the task of designing  and building sustainable homes with cutting-edge technologies
• Creating a public space in which more than 200,000 people could witness sustainable energy “in action.”“Solar Decathlon Europe not only helps raise awareness among professionals, but it also shows that it is technically and financially possible to achieve the goal of constructing buildings with near zero energy expenditure, as stated by the European Directive 2020,” said Javier Serra, director of Solar Decathlon Europe. “It has also shown a very strong initiative to present to the public the possibilities of increasing the energy efficiency of houses, and thereby save on the energy bill, through the use of new technologies and renewable energy.”

Solar Decathlon Europe is organized by the Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development at the Spanish Ministry of Public Works with the collaboration of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the support of the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information, see the Solar Decathlon Europe website.

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

Solar Decathlon Europe has announced the 20 teams that will participate in its 2012 competition. The teams hail from 15 countries and 4 continents.

The Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 teams are:

• RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
• Hochschule Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (Germany) 
• Team Brasil: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
• Tongji University (China)
• Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
• The American University in Cairo (Egypt)
• Team Andalucía: Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Malaga, and Universidad de Jaén (Spain)
• Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (Spain)
• Universidad del País Vasco–Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (Spain)
• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain)
• École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble (France)
• Arts et Métiers ParisTech (France)
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary)
• Team Rome: Roma Tre University and Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy)
• Chiba University (Japan)
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway)
• Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)
• Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
• London Metropolitan University (United Kingdom)
• Team Bucharest 2012: “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism, Politehnica University of Bucharest, and Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest (Romania).

“We congratulate the 20 selected teams and hope to see, as in the 2010 edition, ‘research and development in pure state,’” said Spain’s Minister of Housing, Beatriz Corredor.

“The high level of the selected projects for 2012 assures that major advances will be made in a shorter period of time in the area of energy-efficient housing,” said Sergio Vega, project manager of Solar Decathlon Europe. “The participating teams will develop, within almost two years of competition, true solar homes, as seen in the last competition in June 2010 in Madrid, and demonstrate to the international market that it is possible to compete with these technologies.”

Solar Decathlon Europe is organized by the secretary of state for Housing and Urban Development at the Spanish Ministry of Public Works with the collaboration of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the support of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Virginia Tech took top honors to a standing ovation at the Solar Decathlon Europe awards ceremony today in Madrid, Spain. The decathletes were ecstatic to finally win after participating in four Solar Decathlons. And this was the closest margin of victory in a Solar Decathlon. Virginia Tech won by less than a point!

Virginia Tech participated in the 2002, 2005, and 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlons. For the faculty advisors who have nurtured three teams of students over 10 years, this victory is sweet. The professors were overjoyed, and the students were jumping and dancing on stage and hugging and high-fiving one another.

The Virginia Tech team displays its first-place trophy.

Virginia Tech had practice on its side, having competed in 2009 in the United States on the National Mall. It was one of the first teams to finish assembling its house and get connected to the grid. Then, when the team won the Architecture contest, it shot out front and never looked back. Although the margin of victory was extremely close, the team maintained focus and had a quiet confidence about it. It was a remarkable victory under formidable odds.

Congratulations also go to the Rosenheim and Stuttgart teams. Both have beautiful houses. Rosenheim nipped at Virginia Tech’s heels all week and almost pulled ahead. Stuttgart won the solar system contest on the last day of judging, which catapulted it from fourth to third.

The University of Florida team celebrates being voted the people’s choice in online voting.

The University of Florida finished eighth. The team was very happy and satisfied with its effort. And it won the online people’s choice award! Way to go, Florida! The Instituto de Arquitectura Avanzada de Cataluña won the most paper votes in the village.

The Spanish Ministry of Housing hired a firm that specializes in estimating the size of crowds by taking photos and calculating area and density. The ministry reported that 191,000 people visited the Villa Solar in Madrid, which surpasses the numbers estimated to have visited the National Mall for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009. This is just more evidence that the inaugural Solar Decathlon Europe was a big success.

The Virginia Tech team plans to disassemble its house and be back in the United States by Friday, July 2. Its house, on the other hand, is not expected at the Baltimore harbor until August.

Richard King is the director of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Throughout the Solar Decathlon Europe competition, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon organizers are reporting from Madrid.

When I first arrived many days ago, I was so excited, I ran down to the Villa Solar to see what the teams were building. What I found was inspiration. I was inspired by the designs and the hard work.

Visitors wait for a chance to see the interior of École National Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble’s Armadillo Box.

When everyone first arrived, there were 17 teams of decathletes, totaling 500 students and faculty members, working independently along a vast stretch of excavated earth and sand along the river. The weather changed. The first day, they could hardly see one another because the wind created a dust storm. The next day, they struggled in rain. Several needed to pump water from around their house. Mud was everywhere. A couple of days later, the strong June sun came out, and by noon, it was so hot it hurt. But the teams and organizers pushed on. In 12 days, they built more than 17 inspiring houses; they built an inspiring village—the first Solar Decathlon village in Europe. Working side by side, they also built friendships and bonds forged with their university peers.

Finally, on Thursday, June 17, the Villa Solar was complete, and as they all lifted their heads to look at what they had built (because none had the time to stop and appreciate it when they were so busy), the sense of accomplishment filled their souls and brightened their faces.

Visitors explore Solar Decathlon Europe’s Villa Solar.

After a spectacular opening ceremony, the village was opened to VIPs, sponsors, and the public. Thousands poured into the village to see the houses and talk to the decathletes. Eager to learn and excited to see first-hand, people lined up for hours and wouldn’t leave until forced out after closing.

The excitement heightened as the competition began in earnest. Decathletes washed the dirt from their hands, put their tools away, and put on their bright, clean team uniforms. The task at hand now was to score points. With instrumentation in place and judges passing through, soon we could all see differentiation among the houses. All the houses had attributes that stood out, so the judging was difficult and the scoring very close. As we stand here on Saturday, the contest is still too close to call.

After everything the decathletes have been through the past two years to get to Madrid, build their inspiring village, and help educate thousands, maybe we should stop now to send a message—they are all winners.

It takes creativity to design a decathlon house. Strength to build it. Ingenuity to power it. And perseverance to get it here and compete. Leaders make that happen.

Richard King is the director of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Throughout the Solar Decathlon Europe competition, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon organizers are reporting from Madrid.