Solar Decathlon

The Solar Decathlon, an international collegiate contest designed to spur students to pursue careers in science and engineering, encourage the development of green technologies and raise public awareness of energy efficiency issues, this year had 20 teams giving tough competition to each other. Run by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Solar Decathlon 2009 took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Winner of the prize in 2007, Team Germany has yet again proved its talent this year by winning the competition for the second time. This year the team started with a focus on the façade, creating a house that is essentially a two-story cube. The surface of the structure is completely covered by solar panels that are completely covered by solar panels. It also features automated louver-covered windows and a boiler integrated into the heat pump system that allows the system to provide domestic hot water as well as heating and cooling. The 24-member team consisting of many Technische Universitat Darmstadt architecture students has put in $650,000 to $850,000 for the construction.