Eric Escudero, EERE Digital Team:
Hi everybody, I’m Eric Escudero with the EERE digital team. We’re in Denver, Colorado, near the new commuter line that connects the airport to downtown.
The video shows a shot of the Denver light rail system
In just over a year from now, this place will be packed with people and innovation as the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon comes to the Mile High City.
The video shows footage from previous Solar Decathlon competitions, mixed with images of the homes that competed.
Dates are now set for the 2017 competition. From October 5th through the 15th. 14 college teams will design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy efficient, and boast maximum curb appeal.
Teams are judged on ten events, ranging from architectural design to occupancy health and comfort. And for the first time, cash prizes are on the line, totaling nearly $2 million.
For more on the competition, we head out to Washington, D.C. where Jeremy Kahn is standing by with Linda Silverman, the new Solar Decathlon director.
The video shifts to Washington, D.C., and to Jeremey Kahn and Linda Silverman, who are standing on the National Mall.
Jeremy Kahn, EERE Digital Team:
Thanks, Eric. We are here at the National Mall in Washington D.C., the site of the first four Solar Decathlons. Linda, it’s coming up on a year very quickly. What do you think?
Linda Silverman, Solar Decathlon Director:
Very excited. We are working really hard on all aspects of the competition. Looking forward to it.
Jeremy:
Yeah, and what new items are coming up in the competition this year?
Linda:
So, this year we have two new contests as part of the ten contests. One is innovation, which is really focused on getting the decathletes to push the envelope on clean energy technology, building technology, and incorporating financial sustainability. And then also there's water conservation and reuse.
Jeremy:
Can’t wait to see some of those changes. What do you think the impact of Solar Decathlon has been so far?
Linda:
It has an amazing impact. First on workforce development of these students, but also the faculty and universities, which really are applying theory to practice. DOE, our private sector partners, and our university partners—they toil away in obscurity, and this really gives the public the ability to see really the types of clean energy transformation that we are trying to make and how we are using our investments.
The other thing I love about this competition is it's very multi-disciplinary, so of course the architects and the engineers are involved. Then also we need communications students. We need web designers. We need interior decorators. We even need chefs, and financial and economic analysts. All of that is part of the competition and we’re really hoping that people see that clean energy is really for everyone to both embrace but also to work in. So we’re hoping to have a bigger and wider net for workforce development.
Jeremy:
There is so much involved in the Solar Decathlon. You have a lot of work ahead of you, so we’re going to let you get back to work and throw it back to Denver, the site of the 2017 Solar Decathlon.
The video shifts back to Denver, while a pop-up graphic displays the kind of events that will occur at the event while Eric explains them.
Eric Escudero:
You can check out a number activities free of charge throughout the event, including public exhibits, a community festival, professional development, consumer workshops, and education days for the kids.
This marks the 8th U.S. competition dating back to 2002, and the first one to be held in Denver. Previous locations included California and Washington, D.C.
For more information, log on to the Solar Decathlon website at solardecathlon.gov.