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Name: Nupoor Kansara
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2020
University team: Illinois Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: Baumann Consulting
Current role: Energy and commissioning engineer
Passionate about sustainable buildings? Ready to test the skills you’ve learned in the classroom on a real-life project? The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is ready for your innovative ideas and creativity! Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that prepares the next generation of building professionals to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewables.
The Solar Decathlon Competition Guide, 2022 Design Challenge Rules, and 2023 Build Challenge Rules are now available to the public. All collegiate institutions are encouraged to apply to participate in the next edition of Solar Decathlon by October 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Team Applications can be submitted for both the Design Challenge and the Build Challenge.
She learned a lot in the 2017 Design Challenge, and now she helps design condos in Brazil. Hear more about Louisy Spak's experience in our continuing series.
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Name: Louisy Spak
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2017 Design Challenge (formerly Race to Zero)
University team: Sobrado Solar - Universidade Federal do Paraná
Current organization / employer: Multipla Arquitetura, Nova Arquitetura
Current role: Architect, owner and BIM specialist
For this edition of #SDLivingtheDream we learn about Zach Berzolla, a 2018 Middlebury College team alumnus. He shares with us the work he is doing at MIT, along with key concepts that he has learned for successful building design, from Solar Decathlon. How about that for a doer designer!
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Name: Zach Berzolla
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge
University team: Middlebury College
Current organization / employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sustainable Design Lab
This month in our #SDLivingtheDream series, you'll meet Brett Horin, who competed with Illinois Tech in the 2018 Design Challenge and who has gone on to work in energy modeling in the architecture industry, fueled by his experience in the Solar Decathlon.
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Name: Brett Horin
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018
University team: Illinois Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: Lamar Johnson Collaborative/Clayco
Current role: Energy Modeler
Sol completed his BASc (Applied Science) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and his MS at the Georgia Institute of Technology; he is currently pursuing (part-time) his MBA at the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.In the latest edition of our #SDLivingtheDream series, we introduce Sol Haroon. An alumnus of the 2018 Design Challenge, Sol pushes boundaries in the renewable energy and building design projects he leads, or contributes to as an engineer. Read on to find out more about Sol’s role in creating the largest Living Building in the Southeast!
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Name: Sol Haroon
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge
University team: Georgia Institute of Technology
Current organization / employer: United Renewables, also pursuing an MBA at Georgia Institute of Technology
Current role: Lead Engineer/Consulting Instructor
Meet 2017-2018 Design Challenge alumnus Sean Copeland. From Penn State to Solar Decathlon, this two-time SD veteran has always worked with a passion for building design and environmental preservation. With his current position at Arup, he is able to intersect the two through working on carbon-free building construction in Massachusetts. Learn more about how Sean puts his skills to the test toward the green-building industry.
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Name: Sean Copeland
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2017 and 2018
University team: Penn State University (2017 -- Full Circle, 2018 -- Ripple)
Current organization / employer: Arup
Current role: Graduate Sustainability Consultant
Our #SDLivingTheDream series continues with a recent alum from the Design Challenge who actually went on to work behind the scenes with the event's staff, including posting to our social media channels for last month's completely virtual event.
Amanda Kirkeby working in the lab at NREL on Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) research, an alternative method of power distribution in buildings.…………………
Name: Amanda Kirkeby
Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge
University team: Middlebury Zero Energy School Team (Middlebury College)
Current organization / employer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Current role: Post-graduate intern with the Applied Engineering group
Due to the recent health concerns related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Design Challenge Weekend (April 17–19) will be transitioned to a completely virtual event with a similar schedule. There will be no in-person activities at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory or the adjacent Denver West Marriott hotel.
The revised agenda for the virtual Design Challenge Weekend and an addendum to the Competition Rules outlining changes due to the virtual nature of the event have been posted.
Six weeks and counting! This year's finalist teams for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® Design Challenge are vying to be one of two Grand Winners during the Design Challenge Weekend, April 17-19, 2020, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
Students from 48 teams representing 36 collegiate institutions have taken a big step in advancing their education and careers by being selected as members of finalist teams.
