Solar Decathlon-Winning Home Bought by Pepco for Public Display

February 2nd, 2012 by Zachary Shahan

Solar Decathlon 2011 winners from the University of Maryland and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu (on the left).

If you recall, WaterShed (a solar-powered and highly energy-efficient house built by University of Maryland students, faculty and professional partners) won the 2011 Solar Decathlon. Electric company Pepco has now bought the building and is going to put it on public display at one of its facilities in Montgomery County, Maryland.

“Under the arrangement, Pepco and the University will partner on its operation, monitor its performance, conduct ongoing research and work closely on designing educational materials about WaterShed,” a news release announced this week.

“The house will serve as a ‘living classroom’ and a ‘living laboratory’ to demonstrate smart, clean energy options, blending its original technological and design innovations with Pepco’s own advanced technology, such as its smart thermostats and home-based electric vehicle charging stations.”

The University of Maryland chose Pepco as the buyer after putting the disassembled home “on the market” because of the company’s “vision of using the house to educate the public about sustainable, affordable and beautiful design,” which the University, of course, shares.

WaterShed, as built for the Solar Decathlon, has the following features:

it’s 100% solar powered;
it harvests, recycles, and reuses water;
it includes numerous energy-efficient appliances and materials;
it includes “a patent-pending indoor waterfall that provides humidity control in an aesthetically pleasing manner.”

“The team is thrilled with Pepco’s commitment because it ensures that WaterShed will continue to have a public voice,” says the project’s principal investigator Amy Gardner, an associate professor of architecture at the University Maryland. “WaterShedspeaks to the viability and untapped potential of sustainable strategies and technologies. It reminds us of the task before us – stewardship of the environment in which we live. The partnership of the University with Pepco to further develop and teach these strategies is a fitting homage to the collaborative nature of the project.”

Here’s more from the news release on how the home will be used:

“Pepco plans to open WaterShed to the public at one of its Montgomery County facilities, though a final site selection has not yet been made. The plan is to use it for conferences, educational presentations and occasional public tours. It will also serve Pepco as an energy testing facility. University researchers will continue measuring performance of its various systems to assess its long-term operation.”

“This is an unusual example of technology transfer to the commercial sector, and we’re delighted to collaborate with Pepco inWaterShed’s second act,” says University of Maryland President Wallace Loh. “Our students, faculty, and the community of mentors that made this achievement possible, developed a patent-pending innovation, along with a series of design innovations that have attracted international interest from communities dealing with water-related issues. Their ideas will continue to reverberate in our region thanks to Pepco’s purchase.”

…

The agreement also draws on the Watershed team’s expertise to facilitate its transport and siting. Student team members will serve as docents once the facility opens, explaining to visitors the house’s capabilities and design features.

…

The 200-member UMD Solar Decathlon Team includes students and faculty from the Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, and the University Libraries. Maryland businesses and professional groups provided significant financial and mentoring support as well.

Image Credit: Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon (CC BY-ND 2.0 license)

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Tags: maryland, Pepco, Solar Decathlon, solar decathlon 2011, solar decathlon 2011 winner, university of maryland, watershed

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

Brad Beeson

hmm, this is bittersweet news for me. I was a juror for the decathlon, and so I got to spend a lot of time in the house and got to know the students pretty well. (it was my fav) I was really hoping that the house would end up being used as an actual residence. But, since I live in Montgomery County, I guess I’ll be able to go visit it whenever I want.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  hopefully it will inspire more people to build such a house!