Solar Takes Over Washington D.C.: Solar Decathlon 2009 Begins

October 9th, 2009 by Yael Borofsky

Solar Decathlon 2009: The Construction Site

The solar capacity of the National Mall in Washington D.C. has increased exponentially in just a week as teams of college students from 20 international schools hurriedly reassembled their submissions for the fourth ever Solar Decathlon, a competition in which students must create “the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.” The three-week event kicked of yesterday with an opening ceremony that featured a speech from Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who announced an additional $87 million solar-targeted award for solar energy projects. Here’s a look at some of the impressive solar submissions and the opening day events.

“Decathletes,” as the decathlon participants are called, began construction on October 1, 2009, a full week before the start of the competition. Each house was designed to be deconstructed and then reassembled for the event. The components of each house travel from each team’s school and are reconstituted as the solar-powered homes lining “Decathlete Way” on the National Mall.

Image Credit: Stefano Paltera from USDOE on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

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Tags: ARRA, Department Of Energy, Solar Decathlon, Steven Chu, Washington D.C.

About the Author

Yael Borofsky , a Philadelphia native, writes about cleantech in order to contribute to the discourse on the role of renewables in the world's energy future. When she's not writing, Yael helps organize the annual North American Wine Bloggers' Conference, runs, bikes, hikes, and remains faithfully loyal to her beloved Philadelphia Phillies.

http://solartraining.blogspot.com solar training

good way to drum up some interest. also, these youngsters are the future of our planet so its good that they are doing something positive
http://solartraining.blogspot.com solar training

good way to drum up some interest. also, these youngsters are the future of our planet so its good that they are doing something positive
Xtina

I’m pretty sure they base the solar efficiency based off the value they get in Washington. When I worked on the Cornell house before this round, monitoring energy usage was a vital part during the display period on the mall.
Xtina

I’m pretty sure they base the solar efficiency based off the value they get in Washington. When I worked on the Cornell house before this round, monitoring energy usage was a vital part during the display period on the mall.
Jacob

I wonder, will they test the solar efficiency based off of the value they get in Washington or the native states that the teams represent?
Jacob

I wonder, will they test the solar efficiency based off of the value they get in Washington or the native states that the teams represent?
JOne Winters

Wow no way dude!

RT

http://www.true-privacy.net.tc
JOne Winters

Wow no way dude!

RT

http://www.true-privacy.net.tc