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Photo of a shiny square house covered in photovoltaic panels.

Team Germany's SurPLUS House won first place at Solar Decathlon 2009.
(Credit: Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Photo of a white house with vertical wooden slats.

The entry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign won second place at Solar Decathlon 2009.
(Credit: Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Photo of one end of the Team California house. Tall grasses are in the foreground.

Team California's Refract House won third place in Solar Decathlon 2009.
(Credit: Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Solar Decathlon 2009

Daily Journal - October 17, 2009

Winners: Who, What, and How They Did It

Solar Decathlon 2009 was intriguing and suspenseful to the very end. None of us knew who won until the last minute. Only a few points separated the top teams. Germany and Illinois did well because they had the best-performing houses. Out of the 550 points available for performance (Net Metering at 150 and 100 each for Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, and Home Entertainment), Germany and Illinois scored 513 points each—more than any of the other teams.

California did best in the juried (or subjective) contests and won an unprecedented 422 points out of 450. Germany did well in the same contests and earned 399 points, or 23 fewer than California. Illinois earned 381 points in the juried contests. However, Germany and Illinois scored more performance-based points to pass California and win first and second overall.

Our congratulations go out to Team Germany for a wonderful competition. This talented group brought an exceptional team that developed a winning strategy. Now, it is the two-time defending champion. Will it be back for a three-peat? We will let you know as soon as the teams for 2011 are announced.

Tonight, we will announce the People's Choice Award. Thousands of votes were tallied, both online and by paper ballot, for the most popular house in the village this week. Tune in tomorrow for the results!