| e Autumn of next year, the third 'Solar Decathlon' | | | | vision for living under the sun. These solar homes |
| will take place in Washington, D.C. | | | | are powerful, comfortable, and stylish. They are |
| When it is under way, the experts and spectators | | | | relaxed and elegant, wasting neither space nor |
| alike will see some of the best examples in the | | | | energy. |
| world of the relationship between design and solar | | | | Today's solar houses connect with nature to take |
| power. | | | | advantage of heat and light from the sun and |
| Comprising 20 teams - each representing | | | | cooling breezes and shading. But they crank this |
| universities or colleges - entrants are expected to | | | | natural advantage way up by using the newest |
| build a house that is solar powered, and is judged | | | | products and technologies on the market. The |
| on aesthetics and design. | | | | Solar Decathlon solar homes combine the best |
| The official Solar Decathlon website has this to | | | | from the past and the present... and deliver the |
| say: | | | | promise of a brighter future." |
| "Teams of college students design a solar house, | | | | So the Solar Decathlon is committed to a growing |
| knowing from the outset that it must be | | | | movement that dispels any beliefs on the |
| powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch | | | | incompatibility of good looks and sustainable |
| every last watt of electricity that's generated by | | | | power. |
| the solar panels on their roofs, the students | | | | And - since its launch in 2002 - it has proved that |
| absorb the lesson that energy is a precious | | | | point. With the stipulation that the entrants build |
| commodity. They strive to innovate, using | | | | the houses with only existing commercially |
| high-tech materials and design elements in | | | | available products, the Solar Decathlon commits to |
| ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn | | | | sustainable housing that is commercially viable. |
| how to raise funds and communicate about team | | | | Within a commercially anchored framework, then, |
| activities. They collect supplies and talk to | | | | the teams are judged in 10 contests throughout |
| contractors. They build their solar houses, learning | | | | the competition. |
| as they go." | | | | They can be divided into two groups, detailing |
| Perhaps the key phrase, then, is that "energy is a | | | | technology and everyday use. |
| precious commodity". What the Solar Decathlon | | | | Technology: |
| competition tries to show is that sustainable and | | | | Architecture, Engineering, Communications, |
| renewable energy is not just important, but | | | | Appliances, Lighting, Hot Water, Energy Balance. |
| necessary; with climate change on the rise, and | | | | Everyday Use: |
| fossil fuels declining, the message from the Solar | | | | Market Viability, Comfort Zone, Getting Around. |
| Decathlon is one of duty, not preference. | | | | So the Solar Decathlon brings public interest to |
| Which is not to say that sustainable and | | | | the solar development issue; the same institutions |
| renewable energy cannot be attractive and | | | | that are developing the most high tech and |
| exciting, as the competition also shows. | | | | specialist advances in sustainable energy are |
| Indeed the ultimate aim of the competition is to | | | | expected to use their knowledge for the benefit |
| fuse the need for sustainable energy with the | | | | of public and commercial culture. |
| luxury of good design: | | | | As the competition begins again next year, the |
| "The Solar Decathletes — tomorrow's | | | | commercial will once again -quite rightfully - take |
| engineers, architects, researchers, and | | | | precedence over the specialist. |
| homeowners — are sharing with us a new | | | | |