Below you will find Solar Decathlon news from the Teams archive, sorted by date.
By Carol Laurie
On Aug. 28, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited DesertSol—the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) house that won second place overall in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013. Now located permanently at the Springs Preserve in central Las Vegas, Nevada, DesertSol has been one of the Preserve’s most popular attractions since it opened to the public in March 2014.
By Carol Laurie
Matthew O’Kelly lives the benefits of his U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon experience.
O’Kelly participated twice in the Solar Decathlon—first as the HVAC engineer for The Ohio State University (OSU) 2009 team and then as the project engineer for the OSU 2011 team. Since then, O’Kelly has not only established a successful design career but also been instrumental in developing a patent-pending technology that began with the OSU 2011 competition house.
By Alexis Powers and Carol Laurie
Editor’s Note: This post is one of a series of technology spotlights that introduces common technologies used in U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon team houses.
Good ventilation is vital for maintaining healthy indoor air quality. Houses built to modern energy efficiency standards, such as U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition houses, are tightly constructed to allow very little outside air to leak in. As a result, odors, chemicals, particles, and humidity can become trapped, increasing indoor air pollution.
By Carol Laurie
A house is just a building until people live in it. Then it becomes a home.
Although U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon houses are not lived in during competition, Solar Decathlon visitors may ask themselves whether they could be comfortable homes when stepping through their thresholds.
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.
By Carol Laurie
By Solar Decathlon
U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Director Richard King today announced that two teams selected to compete in Solar Decathlon 2015 have decided not to move forward in the competition.
By Solar Decathlon
Today, the Energy Department announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. It also announced that the competition will take place at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.
By Solar Decathlon
In support of President Obama’s commitment to a clean energy future, the Energy Department today began the process to select collegiate teams to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. Colleges, universities, and other post-secondary educational institutions are welcome to submit proposals. Up to 20 teams will be selected to begin two-year projects to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient houses that combine affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence.
By Solar Decathlon
The Norwich University Solar Decathlon 2013 team received the Byron Stafford Award of Distinction at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Victory Reception on Oct. 12.Presented by Solar Decathlon Director Richard King’s wife, Melissa, the award is a tribute to Byron Stafford, who served as the event’s site operations manager from the first Solar Decathlon in 2002 until his death in May. A National Renewable Energy Laboratory senior scientist, Stafford was instrumental in formulating the competition rules and was dedicated to ensuring a safe competition and public exhibit. In 2009, his team installed the first Solar Decathlon village microgrid to distribute energy safely and reliably among the competition houses and to the utility grid.
By Solar Decathlon
The people have spoken. Today, UrbanEden, the solar-powered house from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, won the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 People’s Choice Award.
By Solar Decathlon
Team Austria from the Vienna University of Technology has won the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
By Solar Decathlon
Czech Technical University took first place in the highly competitive Architecture Contest and Vienna University of Technology received top honors in the Communications Contest this morning at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
Solar Decathlon
At an awards ceremony this morning, winners of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 Affordability and Market Appeal contests took center stage by demonstrating that innovative, energy-efficient houses can be cost-effective and appealing to a variety of target markets.
By Solar Decathlon
Upgrading your lighting is one of the most practical ways to increase your home’s energy efficiency.
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs but use about 75% less energy. CFLs fit into common household fixtures and are available at most hardware stores. And although CFLs cost slightly more than incandescent bulbs, they save money over time by lasting 15 times longer than their less-efficient counterparts.
