SOLAR TODAY - September/October 2011

If every new neighborhood develops an identity and a soul, then we can’t wait to see what spirit the decathletes’ village brings. We hope it’s the birth of something special.

U. S. DEPAr TMEn T oF EnErG Y So LAr DECATHLon

The U.S. Department of energy Solar Decathlon 2011 team participants wave last January at the International Builders’ Show, where scale models of their 2011 houses were on display.

new Contest Encourages
Affordable Innovation

With Solar Decathlon history spanning almost 10 years, it is no surprise that the competition rules have evolved. This year, a new Affordability contest challenges the teams to find a cost-effective way to win the competition. We hope this new contest will raise consumer awareness about how to save money and reduce energy consumption using affordable clean-energy products that are available today.

The main objective of the rules has always been to place as few constraints as possible on the teams while maintaining a safe and fair event. A clean sheet of paper and a motivated mind produce the best result.

The Solar Decathlon rules evaluate appeal
and measure performance in 10 ways —
through 10 contests worth 100 points each.
One of the competition’s original goals was to
see who could design a house that produced
enough power to provide essential transpor-
tation for the household. The key to winning

solartoday.org SOLAR TODA Y September/October 2011 59 was to not only design a beautiful house that worked reliably, but to also generate enough electricity to charge an electric vehicle.