Media representatives enjoyed a sneak peek of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 solar village today, one day before the event’s official opening ceremony.

Solar Decathlon Director Richard King led more than 70 journalists from about 40 media outlets through the village, stopping in front of each house, where a student spokesperson gave a brief introduction to his or her team and house.

“The media really turned out to see the village today, which helps the students spread their stories,” Richard said. “We’ve never done a media preview quite like this before, and it was a huge success.”

Among the media present today were The Washington Post, Bloomberg, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Buildapedia, WJLA News Channel 8, WUSA Channel 9, and PBS’ “Nightly Business Report.”

Carol Anna is the communications manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Samuel Mikhail, team leader of Team New York (City College of New York), celebrates the diversity of his team during the All-Team Meeting. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Filled with energy and excitement, the student teams gathered the All-Team Meeting tonight to kick off the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. The teams—representing 13 U.S. states, five countries, and four continents—received an enthusiastic send-off from Solar Decathlon organizers and sponsors in preparation for the assembly phase of the competition, which begins later tonight.

Over a buffet dinner, Melissa Segil of Middlebury College explained how the Solar Decathlon has had a powerful impact on her education.

“I’ve learned more on this one project than I have in four years of college,” Melissa said. “Each of our team members worked to construct our house. The Solar Decathlon is an amazing hands-on educational experience.”

Members of Team China (Tongji University) greet decathletes from other Solar Decathlon teams at the All-Team Meeting. (Credit: Carol Anna/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Over the next seven days, the teams will work around the clock to build their highly energy-efficient, solar-powered houses at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park. The Solar Decathlon opens to the public on Friday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m.

Carol Anna is the communications manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

From left: Joel Towers, executive dean, Parsons; Dorothy Douglas, Deanwood resident; Sheila C. Johnson, board chair, Parsons; Sylvia Brown, ANC commissioner; Deputy Mayor Victor Hoskins; Kent Adcock, president and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C.; Michael Bruno, dean, Stevens Institute of Technology; Neil Grabois, dean, The Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at The New School (Courtesy of Lisa Bleich)

Saving energy to save money—it’s a simple yet effective strategy that can greatly benefit families faced with the variable, often high costs of utility bills. It’s a goal made all the more significant to the Parsons The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology Solar Decathlon team because the houses they design and build will serve as future residences for two families in the historic Deanwood community of Washington, D.C.

We’ve highlighted the efforts of this team—a collaboration of hundreds of students and supporting faculty from Parsons, Stevens Institute, and Milano the New School for Management and Urban Policy—here on the Energy blog before. While the team is hard at work completing construction of its house for the upcoming Solar Decathlon competition, it is simultaneously working with Habitat for Humanity to start construction of a second house in Deanwood. Post-competition, the two homes will join together as a duplex, providing affordable and energy-efficient residences for the community. The team officially broke ground on the project Wednesday.

In addition to students and faculty, community residents, civic leaders, and government officials were on hand at the groundbreaking to support a goal to “create something that had a life beyond the [National] Mall,” said student team member Amanda Waal. “Bringing Deanwood and Habitat for Humanity into the discussions surrounding the Solar Decathlon has been very important to us,” she added.

Like every Solar Decathlon team, the Parsons and Stevens Institute team has its sights on winning. Yet, even more, its goal is to demonstrate the benefits of energy-efficient design not just for the Deanwood community but also for the nation.

“Changing housing in America—that’s really what we want to do as part of this competition,” said Joel Towers, dean of Parsons.  

The team’s strategy of using energy-efficient design principles to keep energy bills at the bare minimum for the long term is already catching on. Habitat for Humanity is applying the team’s standards to six new townhouses in the Ivy City neighborhood of D.C., while other Habitat affiliates have expressed interest in replicating the formula in neighborhoods across the country. 

“This is part of a much larger picture, and a lot of that picture is being drawn by our young people,” explained Michael Bruno, dean of Science and Engineering at Stevens Institute. “We’re going to change the world one step at a time.”

Solar Decathlon 2011 will take place Sept. 23 through Oct. 2, 2011, at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C.

Erin Pierce is an energy technology program specialist for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 

On April 28, 2011, the launch ceremony for Solar Decathlon China (SD China) was held at Peking University. The event was witnessed by more than 200 participants from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the U.S. Department of Energy, prominent domestic and international energy companies, and several Chinese universities. The Solar Decathlon China competition will be hosted by the National Energy Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy, organized by Peking University, and supported by companies including Applied Materials of the U.S.

Launched in the U.S. in 2002, the Solar Decathlon has been held about every two years. In 2013, China will host its inaugural Solar Decathlon competition. The teams will come from international universities, each of which will design and build a house that uses solar energy as the sole energy source for maintaining the operations of daily life. The competition will have ten contests, including energy conservation, architecture, environmental appeal, and energy independence—thus the “Decathlon” name.

During the launch ceremony, Wu Guihui, chief engineer of NEA, recognized the importance of Solar Decathlon and indicated that SD China would demonstrate the importance the Chinese government places on the application of new energy, promotion of low-carbon technologies, China’s responsibilities for carbon emission reduction, and initiatives of green and sustainable development. The competition will also be a good way to introduce advanced new energy technologies, promote commercialization in the field of clean energy, and carry out “green, clean, environmental protection” concepts in each Chinese city.

Zhou Qifeng, the president of Peking University, said: “In recent years, China’s new energy industry has made considerable progress in the field. The government’s strong encouragement and support for environment-friendly solutions have encouraged an increase in academic research and commercial deployment, spurring industry growth for new energy technologies. The Solar Decathlon China program will advance the level of technology development and application.”

During the ceremony, the organizing committee of SD China announced the timetable of the competition, the drafting of sponsorship regulations, and the drafting of hosting city regulations and launched the official website for SD China: http://www.sdchina.org/en/Default.aspx.

This press release was provided by Solar Decathlon China organizers.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has announced the dates for its 2011 event. They are:

• Opening ceremony: Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011
• Public exhibit: Sept. 23 through Oct. 2, 2011.

These dates are the original event dates and enable teams to begin assembling their houses at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

“Now that we’ve confirmed the dates, people can start making plans to come to Solar Decathlon 2011,” said Richard King, Solar Decathlon director. “We plan to make this event bigger and better than ever, so please keep checking the Web site for updated details as we draw closer to the event.”

Carol Anna is the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon communications manager.