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About Solar Decathlon


Image of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 brochure cover.

Read our brochure for an overview of Solar Decathlon 2011. (PDF 1.2 MB) Download Adobe Reader.


Image of the Solar Decathlon "Building the Future" brochure cover.

Building the Future
Meet just a few of the students whose lives have been changed by the Solar Decathlon. (PDF 1.5 MB) Download Adobe Reader.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The next event will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in fall 2011. Open to the public free of charge, visitors can tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.

Purpose

The Solar Decathlon:

  • Educates student participants and the public about the many cost-saving opportunities presented by clean-energy products

  • Demonstrates to the public the opportunities presented by cost-effective houses that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems that are available today

  • Provides participating students with unique training that prepares them to enter our nation's clean-energy workforce.

Impact

Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has:

  • Involved 92 collegiate teams, which pursued multidisciplinary course curricula to study the requirements for designing and building energy-efficient, solar-powered houses

  • Established a worldwide reputation as a successful educational program and workforce development opportunity for thousands of students

  • Affected the lives of 15,000 collegiate participants

  • Expanded its outreach to K–12 students by inviting schools in the Washington, D.C., area to visit on class tours.

In 2009, the Solar Decathlon:

  • Provided 307,502 house visits to the public over 10 days

  • Offered 32 workshops onsite for the public and held a dedicated day of workshops for builders and industry, which were attended by 506 professionals

  • Partnered with the National Education Association, which broadcast daily educational programming to classrooms around the nation

  • Reached millions of readers and viewers in markets across the globe through various media.