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Solar Decathlon Kickoff Webinar, Plus New Mentor Opportunities

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2024 Design Challenge

Join the Kickoff Webinar for the 2025 Design Challenge on Sept. 10

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2025 Design Challenge is open for registration!

Interested in designing buildings that better serve your community? Join the kickoff webinar on Sept. 10 at noon ET to learn about the changes to the competition for this year, including division changes and the new “Innovative Retrofit Project” and “Innovative Equity Project” awards. The webinar will be geared toward interested students and faculty members.

Be sure to register your team for the 2025 Design Challenge no later than Oct. 23 to be able to participate. Questions? Email SDDesign@nrel.gov.

Design for a Better-Built World – Join the Solar Decathlon 2025 Design Challenge!

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Group of students standing together, facing the camera and smiling with their hands raised in waves. Students from the University of Arizona won multiple awards at the 2024 Design Challenge for their partnership with the Hopi Tribe to design the Tawa’ovi Community Development project. Photo: NREL.

Registration is now open for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® 2025 Design Challenge! In this challenge, interdisciplinary collegiate teams will create efficient, resilient, and sustainable buildings that meet community needs as part of DOE’s longest-running student competition.

Each year, Design Challenge teams compete to create high-performance, low-carbon building designs that address real-world issues such as existing building retrofits, community impacts, affordability, and resilience. Learn more about the competition through the 2024 Design Challenge Recap video.

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

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

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!

Solar Decathlon Build Challenge Update

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This fall DOE will be engaging stakeholders to solicit feedback on an updated competition model for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon® Build Challenge. DOE is examining options that would align the structure and impact of the program to further support the Building Technologies Office’s decarbonization goals, building on the 20 years of demonstrated success of the Solar Decathlon. Because of the time needed to provide ample opportunity for stakeholder engagement and feedback, DOE will not hold a 2025 Build Challenge competition.

If you are interested in participating in this effort, please contact Jaime Van Mourik at jaime.vanmourik@ee.doe.gov.

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

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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!

Join the Solar Decathlon High School Program as an Alumni Mentor!

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A man stands in front of a crowded room of seated students. A Solar Decathlon alum gives a STEM career talk to high school students.

Solar Decathlon Pathways (SD Pathways) is back this fall, bringing STEM career talks to U.S. high school classrooms—and we are looking for alumni and educators to participate!

SD Pathways introduces high school students to clean energy and STEM careers by connecting them with U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® alumni.

Calling the Next Generation of Sustainable Building Professionals—Solar Decathlon Announces 2024 Design Challenge

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Several students and faculty pose with scale models of their sustainable building designs. Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge teams showcase models of their sustainable building designs during the Competition Event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Photo by Vern Slocum, NREL.

Are you a collegiate student interested in transforming buildings to serve communities and the planet? The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is seeking student participants from diverse majors to join the next round of the zero-energy building design competition.

The Design Challenge is an annual design competition challenging interdisciplinary teams of collegiate students to create high-performance, low-carbon building designs that address real-world issues related to climate resilience, affordability, and environmental justice.

Join the Solar Decathlon Professionals summer cohort with USGBC-June 7 to Aug. 9, 23 CEUs available!

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This advanced-level course is for those familiar with building sciences who want to gain practical experience with zero energy projects or instruction.

a rendering of a home Zero energy building rendering courtesy of Deborah Lin Pérez Centeno, former SD Pro participant.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is partnering with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to host the next Solar Decathlon Professionals Program (SD Pro) cohort!

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