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Solar Decathlon Blog - Competition

Below you will find Solar Decathlon news from the Competition archive, sorted by date.

40 Collegiate Teams Advance to Solar Decathlon 2024 Design Challenge

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Forty teams from 37 collegiate institutions are advancing to the final stage of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon® 2024 Design Challenge based on their cutting-edge, zero energy building designs.

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3 Days Remain! Nominate for the Solar Decathlon Alumni-Faculty Awards by Feb. 1

Monday, January 29, 2024

A photo of Holly Carr shaking hands with the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Advisor award winner: Edoarda Corradi Dell'Acqua
3 Days Remain! Nominate for the Solar Decathlon Alumni/Faculty Awards by Feb. 1

Only 3 days remain to nominate an outstanding U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® alumni or faculty lead for the Solar Decathlon Awards!

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Solar Decathlon Awards Nominations Open, SD Pro January Cohort, and More!

Friday, December 15, 2023

Three women smiling and looking at the camera, holding awards, against a backdrop with the Solar Decathlon logo.

SOLAR DECATHLON AWARDS

Nominate an Outstanding Solar Decathlon Alum or Faculty Member by Feb. 1!

Know a Solar Decathlon alum or faculty lead who should be celebrated for accomplishments in the buildings industry? Nominate them for the Solar Decathlon Alumni/Faculty Awards!

These annual awards are given to past U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon® participants at the student or faculty level who have made outstanding contributions to the transition to a clean energy economy.

Nominate by Feb. 1 to be considered. Winners will be announced in April 2024 at the Solar Decathlon Competition Event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

Nominate today!

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Leading the Charge—105 Solar Decathlon Teams Tackle Zero Energy Building Designs

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

a work map showing the participating teams

105 teams from 93 collegiate institutions are leading the charge on tackling climate change by designing high-performance, zero energy buildings as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2024 Design Challenge.

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Calling the Next Sustainable Building Professionals—Register for the Solar Decathlon 2024 Design Challenge

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Are you a student or professor interested in transforming buildings to tackle the climate crisis?

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is seeking collegiate student participants from diverse majors to join the next round of the zero energy building design competition. Students from collegiate institutions in the United States and around the world are encouraged to form interdisciplinary teams and register!

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DOE Announces 21st Annual Solar Decathlon Winners

Monday, April 24, 2023

Ball State University, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and The Cooper Union Named 2023 Build and Design Challenge Winners

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the winners of the 21st annual Solar Decathlon®, DOE’s longest-running student competition. The annual collegiate contest challenges the next generation of building professionals to design and construct high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewable energy, while promoting student innovation, STEM education, and workforce development opportunities in the buildings industry. Ball State University, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art won the top honors at this year’s competition and were announced at the Solar Decathlon Competition Event at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado yesterday.
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Visit a Solar Decathlon Zero Energy Home Near You through April 18!

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Visit a Solar Decathlon Zero Energy Home Near You through April 18!

Solar Decathlon participants in front of their house


Eleven collegiate teams competing in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2023 Build Challenge are hosting community open houses for their zero energy homes through April 18.

The teams, located across the globe, have spent nearly two years designing and building full-size, high-performance, low-carbon, zero energy houses for the competition. These dwellings demonstrate creative solutions to real-world climate issues, as well as long-term durability for local environmental conditions.

Additionally, these homes are built in communities across the country and around the world so more people can see them.

Learn when, where you can visit

Fifty-Seven Teams Advance to Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge Final

Monday, February 27, 2023

Renderings from a selection of Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge finalist teams.

Renderings from a selection of Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge finalist teams.
Graphic by NREL

Fifty-seven teams from 63 collegiate institutions have earned a spot in the final stage of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2023 Design Challenge.

“Solar Decathlon has pioneered energy efficient building designs for more than two decades; this year’s finalist teams showed there is always room to push the envelope on zero energy buildings,” said Rachel Romero, Design Challenge competition manager.

Finalist teams were selected at the Semifinal Competition Event, held virtually February 24–25, 2023.  Teams presented their zero energy building designs to a panel of industry experts and finalists were selected based on their innovations, technical plans, and the quality of their presentations.

The competition includes residential and commercial designs in six different divisions: New Housing, Retrofit Housing, Attached Housing, Multifamily Building, Office Building, and Education Building. Up to 10 teams were selected in each of the contest divisions.

Finalist teams will compete to win their division, and possibly become one of two overall grand winners, at the hybrid Solar Decathlon Competition Event, April 20–23, 2023, in Golden, Colorado, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The event will also include virtual participation options, networking sessions, and the announcement of the 2023 Build Challenge winners.

“As the premier sponsor for Solar Decathlon this year, we are thrilled to honor the finalist teams in the Design Challenge,” said Deb Cloutier, chief sustainability officer at Legence. “The experience students gain during this program is foundational to the design of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings in real life—some of our best engineers today are Solar Decathlon graduates.”

Join the awards ceremony livestream on April 23, 2023, 10 a.m. EDT, to see which finalist teams earn the grand prizes this year!

2023 Design Challenge finalist teams by division:

New Housing Division

  • Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
  • Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
  • Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
  • Monash University, Clayton, Australia
  • The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
  • The University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
  • University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
  • University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
  • University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
  • Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts

Retrofit Housing Division

  • Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
  • Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan
  • Howard University, Washington, D.C.
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
  • Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania; Johnson College, Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
  • Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

Attached Housing Division

  • Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
  • Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
  • The University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia; Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia
  • Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario
  • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts

Multifamily Building Division

  • Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
  • Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York; Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
  • Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario
  • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria, Virginia

Office Building Division

  • Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
  • Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
  • Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, India
  • Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
  • Monash University, Clayton, Australia
  • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts

Education Building Division

  • Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
  • Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
  • Howard University, Washington, D.C.
  • Myongji University, Seoul, South Korea
  • Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
  • Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York City, New York
  • The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia; British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia
  • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • University of North Texas, Denton, Texas; Al Hussein Technical University, Amman, Jordan

TWO DAYS REMAIN – Nominate a Faculty Advisor or Alum for the Solar Decathlon Richard King Award by February 1!

Monday, January 30, 2023

A collage of past Richard King Award winners -

Last Chance to Nominate a Faculty Advisor or Alum for the Solar Decathlon Richard King Award!

Has an influential U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® Alum or Faculty Advisor made a positive impact on you, the program, or building a clean energy economy? Nominate them for the Richard King Award by February 1, 2023!

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Ready, Set, Go! 120+ Teams to Compete in the Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Map showing 97 collegiate institutions with 124 total teams are participating in the Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge.

97 collegiate institutions with 124 total teams are participating in the Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge.

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Exclusive Solar Decathlon Webinar, Industrialized Construction

Monday, November 7, 2022

A Blok modular apartment unit is installed at the NREL Research Block. (Photo courtesy of NREL)

A Blok modular apartment unit is installed at the NREL Research Block. (Photo courtesy of NREL)

Solar Decathlon has long been synonymous with digestible building science education. Now, the competition is launching a new initiative—SD Studio—to feature one cutting-edge building topic in depth each academic year. This year’s topic is industrialized construction!

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Last Chance to Join Solar Decathlon in 2023!

Monday, October 24, 2022

2022 Design Challenge Residential Grand Winners from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

2022 Design Challenge Residential Grand Winners from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Register for the 2023 Design Challenge by the October 26 deadline!

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One Month Left! Join the Solar Decathlon to Solve the Climate Crisis One Zero Energy Building at a Time

Monday, September 26, 2022

Solar Decsthlon participants presenting to the jury.

One month remains for collegiate teams to register for the next U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® cycle! Change the status quo of the built environment by imagining a zero-energy building of the future as part of the hands-on 2023 Design Challenge.

Register your team today! Registration closes on October 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

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Register for the Solar Decathlon Kickoff Webinar!

Monday, August 15, 2022

2022 Design Challenge students presenting at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Join us for the Solar Decathlon Kickoff Webinar!

Know what it takes to create a winning team for the Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge? Have questions before your collegiate team starts designing a zero energy building?

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Build Your Team! Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge Opens Registration

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Students participating in the 2022 Design Challenge and 2023 Build Challenge pose on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus during the Solar Decathlon 2022 Competition Event, April 22–24, 2022.

Students participating in the 2022 Design Challenge and 2023 Build Challenge pose on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus during the Solar Decathlon 2022 Competition Event, April 22–24, 2022.

Want to design a zero-energy building while still in school? Register now and form a 2023 Design Challenge team to develop sustainable building expertise and tackle real-world problems through the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® collegiate competition.

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