Solar Decathlon 2015 Returns To Southern California! Teams Announced

Today, the Energy Department announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. It also announced that the competition will take place at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.

“The Solar Decathlon can be a positive, life-changing experience for participating students,” said Solar Decathlon Director Richard King. “In addition to developing leadership, team spirit, and problem-solving skills, this competition bridges formal education with hands-on experience that helps decathletes excel once they enter the workforce.”

The student teams include eight returning teams and 12 new teams. Four feature partners from international schools.

Congratulations go to:

• California Polytechnic State University
• California State University, Sacramento
• Clemson University
• Crowder College and Drury University
• Lansing Community College and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
• Missouri University of Science and Technology
• New York City College of Technology
• Oregon Institute of Technology and Portland State University
• Stanford University
• State University of New York at Alfred College of Technology and Alfred University
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• University of Florida, National University of Singapore, and Santa Fe College
• The University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen
• University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine; Saddleback College; Chapman University; and Irvine Valley College
• Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University
• West Virginia University and University of Roma Tor Vergata
• Western New England University, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana
• Yale University.

The Solar Decathlon 2015 teams now begin a two-year process to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient houses that combine affordability, innovation, and design excellence. The teams will design, construct, and test their houses before reassembling them in fall 2015 at the competition site at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.

From 2002 through 2011, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., served as the venue for five successful Solar Decathlons. In 2013, the Energy Department extended the competition’s reach. The Orange County Great Park, located between Los Angeles and San Diego in Irvine, California, was the West Coast location of Solar Decathlon 2013.

Watch U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman announce the teams and location live at the University of California, Irvine, at 4 p.m. EDT today.

Author’s note: The 2014 competition will be hosted in July, in Versailles, France, adjacent to the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, and will be attended by teams from sixteen different countries and four continents.