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Archive for June, 2014

Sneak Peek: Solar Decathlon 2015 House Concepts!

Monday, June 30, 2014

By Carol Laurie

What do the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 teams have up their sleeves? Our new 2015 team pages will give you an idea of what’s in store. The teams have submitted their first house designs to competition organizers, and we’re giving you a glimpse of what’s planned.

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Solar Decathlon Europe 2014: Perspective of a Manufacturer, Observer, and Building Technology Enthusiast

Thursday, June 26, 2014

By Meredith Tunick

When I arrived onsite yesterday, Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 student teams were in the middle of the final phase of heavy construction of their self-designed and self-built project houses. The scene was filled with intense energy as students—fully equipped with hard hats, steel-toed boots, and safety gear—moved around their construction sites in a sort of synchronized dance of home production. The air smelled of dirt, lumber, and teamwork.

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Solar Decathlon Village Powered by Microgrid and Sponsor Support

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

By Carol Laurie

Since the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009, a temporary, ground-laid electrical grid (or “microgrid”) has connected Solar Decathlon houses with one another and the local utility. The village microgrid allows excess power generated by the houses’ solar electric systems to be sent back to the larger city utility grid and its customers. The microgrid also enables the competition houses to draw energy from the utility when consumption exceeds production.

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Salut Versailles! Solar Decathlon Europe Opens to Visitors

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

By Carol Laurie

On June 28, 20 competition houses from 17 countries and three continents open to visitors in La Cité du Soleil—Solar Decathlon Europe’s solar city in Versailles, France.

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Solar Decathlon Takes First Place in Government Communicators Competition

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

By Carol Laurie

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 won first place in the special events category in the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards Competition. The award was announced last week during a reception and banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

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Solar Decathlon 2011 Winner Opens as Educational Research Center

Thursday, June 12, 2014

By Carol Laurie

The University of Maryland’s WaterShed, which took first place in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, recently opened to the public as the Pepco WaterShed Sustainability Center—a living classroom and laboratory for sustainable energy practices.

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