WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Department of
Energy Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman today announced the winners
of the 2009 Department of Energy Solar Competition on the National
Mall in Washington, D.C. Team Germany, the student team from
Darmstadt, Germany, won top honors by designing, building, and
operating the most attractive and efficient solar-powered
home. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign took
second place followed by Team California in third place.
The active competition lasted for a week, with the prototype
home designs open to the public through Sunday. Team
Germany's winning "Cube House" design produced a surplus of power
even during three days of rain. This is the team's second-straight
Solar Decathlon victory, after winning the previous competition in
2007.
"This competition to build zero carbon homes has been a
tremendous undertaking and we have seen terrific efforts by all the
teams," Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman said. "The
ingenuity that comes from individual effort is the promise of our
future."
Over the past two weeks, the 2009 Solar Decathlon challenged 20
university-led teams from the United States and as far away as
Spain, Germany, and Canada to compete in 10 contests, ranging from
subjective elements such as architecture, market viability,
communications, lighting design, and engineering, to technical
measurements of how well the homes provided energy for space
heating and cooling, hot water, home entertainment, appliances, and
net metering.
New to this year's competition, the Net Metering Contest was
worth 150 points towards the final results and was the most heavily
weighted contest. It challenged teams to generate surplus
energy, above and beyond the power needed to run a house, which
they fed into a power grid.
Team Germany earned 908.29 points out of a possible 1,000 to win
the competition, followed by the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign with 897.30 points, and Team California with
863.08 points.
Solar Decathlon Individual
Contest Winners:
Appliances (Awarded Today)
In the Appliances Contest, the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign earned the most points based on keeping a
refrigerators and freezer cold, washing and drying 10 loads of
laundry during the contest week, and washing dishes in a dishwasher
five times during the competition – all on electricity
generated only from sunlight. The team scored 93.53 out of 100
possible points.
Architecture (Awarded Monday)
Team California took first place in the Architecture contest and
earned 98 points out of a possible 100. A jury of architects
judged homes on the aesthetic and functional elements of the home's
design; ease of circulation among the public and private areas;
integration of various spaces into a holistic design; generosity
and sufficiency of space in the house; and the house's design
surprises meant to inspire visitors.
Comfort Zone (Awarded Today)
Team Germany topped the contestants in the Comfort Zone contest,
with 92 out of 100 points for maintaining indoor temperatures
between 72 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity between
40 percent and 55 percent.
Communications (Awarded Tuesday)
Team California's communications efforts, including communications
plans, student-led tours, and team Web site, were judged best by
the jury of Web site and public relations experts with a score of
69.75 points out of a possible 75 points.
Engineering (Awarded Today)
The University of Minnesota won the Engineering contest, which was
evaluated by a group of prominent engineers, who determined which
solar home best exemplified excellence in energy systems design,
energy-efficiency savings, creative innovations in design, and
reliability of energy systems. The University of Minnesota
scored 96 out of a possible 100 points.
Home Entertainment (Awarded Today)
The Home Entertainment contest required students to use electricity
generated by their solar houses to run interior and exterior
lights, a TV, a computer, and a kitchen appliance to boil
water. Teams were also required to hold two dinner parties
and a movie night for neighbors. The University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign earned 92.62 out of a possible 100 points.
Hot Water (Awarded Today)
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earned the maximum
100 points in the Hot Water contest's "shower tests," which aimed
to deliver 15 gallons of hot water in ten minutes or less. Of
course, the water was heated by the sun.
Lighting Design (Awarded Thursday)
The University of Minnesota was named the winner of the Lighting
contest where teams earned points based on an evaluation by a jury
of lighting design experts. Jurors toured each house to
evaluate the aesthetics, innovations, energy efficiency,
user-friendliness, flexibility, and performance of the teams'
lighting designs. The University of Minnesota earned 72
points out of a possible 75 points.
Market Viability (Awarded Monday)
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette won the Market Viability
contest, which evaluated whether the cost-effective construction
and solar technology in a team's design would create a viable
product on the open market. Judges gauged market appeal based
on three criteria: livability, feasibility of construction,
and marketability. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
earned 97 points out of a possible 100 as judged by the
professional jury.
Net Metering (Awarded Today)
Team Germany took the top spot in the crucial, 150-point Net
Metering contest. Teams were awarded 100 points if the energy
supplied to their home's two-way electrical meter registered zero
or less after all of the energy demands of the contest week.
Each house in the 2009 Solar Decathlon was connected to a power
grid and equipped with a meter that measured both its consumption
and production of energy. When a team's meter showed a
negative number, the home had generated surplus energy –
worth up to 50 additional points. Team Germany scored a perfect 150
points in this contest.
The application process for the next Solar Decathlon, to be held
in fall 2011, has already begun.
For full event information, current standings, high-resolution
photos and videos, an event schedule, and updates, visit the Solar Decathlon
website.
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