Under mostly cloudy skies and occasional light rain, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon teams continue assembling their houses around the clock to finish the assembly phase of the competition, which for most (and hopefully all) teams will end Tuesday.

New Zealand celebrates a team member’s birthday and says goodbye to its Canadian team crew from Fenshawe College in Ontario. (Credit: Richard King/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Today, I attended a party that New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) held for a team member’s birthday and to say goodbye to their Canadian friends who came from Ontario to help them. The Canadians—from Fanshawe College—are contemplating applying for Solar Decathlon 2013, so the New Zealand team suggested they join them as team crew. Fanshawe sent a few staff and students for assembly and disassembly, and some of them will stay in Washington for the entire event.

In other news:

• Team Massachusetts (Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell) arrived on Thursday three days late but assembled its main structure in only six hours.
• Team New Jersey (Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey and New Jersey Institute of Technology) finished installing its solar array today.
• Maryland was the first team to qualify for electricity meter installation (which happened yesterday) and as of this morning led the other teams in the number of inspections passed.

In addition, the Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology took my camera up in their cherry picker for some way-cool aerial views of the village.

Aerial view of the solar village, with the roof of the SCI-Arc/Caltech house in the foreground, Team Massachusetts in foreground to the left, and Team New York (The City College of New York ) to the right. Maryland is between and just behind them. (Credit: Richard King/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Tomorrow will be more assembly—which will include the installation of lots of village infrastructure (tents, signage, and portable walkways for visitors)—and, no doubt, more firsts and finishes by this stellar group of teams.

Stay tuned!

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

We have our time-lapse camera installed, so check out the views from about 40 feet above the solar village. The camera will be there throughout the entire event so everyone can keep an eye on all the happenings.

Down at ground level, you can feel the action. There are about 600 of us working with purpose:  Let’s get the competition site ready for opening day next week. You don’t see anyone sitting around unless they are eating lunch or catching a nap so they can work another few hours. The level of energy is intense, and all the activity fills your senses with excitement.

The truck carrying Team Florida’s house reached Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to unload tonight. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are now three days behind. The team members are ready to go and undaunted. We have had teams arrive three days late in previous competitions, and they still did well. We are all pulling for you, Team Florida.

A section of Team New Jersey’s concrete house gets a lift from a 100-ton crane. (Credit: Richard King/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

One of the most amazing assemblies is up at the Team New Jersey lot. A 100-ton crane is lifting huge sections of its low-cost concrete house in place. The design is stunning—and heavy! It makes the ideal seashore house a cool place to live with no worries when a hurricane comes ashore. Check out the Team New Jersey website if you want to know more. I’m sure we will be talking more about this house and team before the competition is over.

Autumn is in the air. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50s and 60s. After the hot, humid working conditions we experienced the past two days, the fresh, cool air will be a welcome relief. Great building weather!

Richard King is director 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.

When it comes to picturing a beach house, you typically picture large windows to let in fresh air and sunlight or wide porches to connect the home to the outdoors. What probably doesn’t come to mind is a home primarily made of precast concrete. However, Team New Jersey is doing exactly that—incorporating the age-old technology of concrete into its beach house design. The team hopes to show others how a material often seen as cold or industrial can be used for residential applications.

Jordan Tait (Courtesy of Team New Jersey)

The New Jersey Solar Decathlon team is a collaboration between two universities, Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

“Rutgers is taking care of the engineering side of things, and we’re doing architecture. We’re learning together how the whole process pans out,” said NJIT student and Project Architecture Manager Jordan Tait.

New Jersey is the first team in the Solar Decathlon competition to use pre-cast concrete panels as its primary construction material. What is the reason? Jordan explained that several factors make concrete an ideal choice. For one, the panels are super insulated—composed of insulation sandwiched between 3 to 4 inches of poured concrete on either side.

Team New Jersey (Courtesy of Team New Jersey)

Also, the pre-cast concrete contributes to the house’s high thermal mass, which helps to avoid dramatic temperature fluctuations by retaining heat in the winter and keeping the house cool in the summer.

“It’s low-maintenance, sustainable, and green,” said Jordan.

Several other technologies will be incorporated into the design for optimal energy efficiency:

• The roof will take on an inverted hip shape—calibrated for maximum solar and rainwater collection.
• A 38-panel array will provide renewable energy for the house.
• Operable windows will allow for natural ventilation.

This Saturday, the team will have a chance to showcase its design to a wider audience.

“A lot of people think the shape is very dynamic. They’re very interested to see it done and built,”  said Jordan.

At Rutgers Day, an event for prospective students and their families, visitors will see a digital walkthrough of the house and get a chance to see some of the building materials up close.  

Student team members view solar panels (Courtesy of Team New Jersey)

As the competition draws nearer, it’s clear that Jordan and his fellow teammates have gained a lot from the demanding experience.

“There’s a bigger spectrum of things to learn than just the academic scope,” said Jordan.  “By coordinating with contractors, engineers, and consultants, we’re picking up different skill sets. We’re really taking the project far above and beyond the call of duty.”

Visit the Team New Jersey website and Facebook page for more about its journey to the Solar Decathlon competition.

Erin Pierce is an energy technology program specialist for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.