This past weekend, we jumped on the
opportunity to attend the Solar Decathlon, held at
the National Mall in Washington D.C. & organized by
the U.S. Department of Energy.
Background:
Since 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar
Decathlon has showcased design excellence in
energy-efficient and solar energy-powered home
design. The competition challenges 20
college-university teams from around the world to
design, build and operate the most attractive and
efficient solar-powered house. The teams spend
nearly 2 years transforming ideas into reality
before transporting their creations to the National
Mall in Washington D.C. This year, all team houses
were also connected to the utility grid to take
advantage of net metering. This event provides
valuable learning experiences for student
competitors and market-ready examples of solar and
energy-efficient building technologies for the
public.
Teams hail from far and wide, with
representatives from the U.S., Spain, Germany and
Canada! We were thrilled to see 2 Canadian Teams
(Team Ontario/BC and Team Calgary) and were
impressed with their homes & presentation. When we
left the show, they both were doing quite well,
respectively in 4th and 6th place! Contrary to most
of the entries at the show, the Canadian Homes not
only have to be sustainable, but also have to
contend with the harsh Canadian climate.
This competition was very well attended (see
photos). We had to wait in line for almost an hour
in order to visit some of the homes. In the end, it
was well worth it and it was extremely encouraging
to see the passion and enthusiasm all around us.
These students represent the possibilities that
architecture, engineering and entrepreneurship can
bring to a future in which aesthetics and
convenience are blended in comfort and efficiency.
For more information, to find out Who Won and to
see “virtual tours” of every solar house, please
check out the official Solar Decathlon website at:
www.solardecathlon.org.
At Evergreen Concepts, we have made designing and building “
Also at Evergreen, we believe that most informed consumers these
days are starting to appreciate the growing
...and
most other areas within 300 kms. Extra delivery charges for packages
could apply in other areas.