DOE Selects 20 Teams for the 2009 Solar Decathlon

January 24, 2008

Photo of a rectangular house with paneled oak walls and large glass windows. Large wooden screens are folded back to let in sunlight.

The team from the Technische Universität Darmstadt won the 2007 Solar Decathlon with this entry, made largely of German oak. The team will have another shot at the title in 2009.

DOE announced on January 24 the 20 university teams that will participate in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The teams, chosen from the United States, Canada, and Europe, will each receive $100,000 from DOE to design, build, and operate energy efficient, solar-powered homes. Universities from 15 states—Arizona, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin—as well as from Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, and Spain were chosen to participate. For a complete list of the participants, see the DOE press release.

The Solar Decathlon is an international, biennial competition that challenges university teams to design and build energy efficient solar-powered homes. In the fall of 2009, the students will transport their houses to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where the homes will be open to tour. The homes will be judged according to 10 contests that will rank the houses based on their technical design, functionality, market viability, and ability to power an electric car. See the Solar Decathlon Web site.