DOE Solar Decathlon: Blog

The Solar Decathlon Blog supports the activities surrounding the 2007 Solar Decathlon, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from October 12-20, 2007. During this event, teams from colleges and universities around the globe come together in a "solar village" and compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Visit the Solar Decathlon Website for more information about the competition.

There are two sections to this blog: the Daily Journal and Commentary. Visit these sections below, and check back often for updates from the solar village!

Daily Journal

The daily journal will feature on-the-scene coverage of the daily happenings during the 2007 Solar Decathlon. Find out the latest on the teams, their standings, and the events going on in the solar village. Be sure to comment and share your own experience at the 2007 Solar Decathlon!

October 23, 2007 — Thanks, and See You in '09!

The National Mall is back to normal—or as normal as it ever gets. But the world will never be the same, because the 2007 Solar Decathlon existed here for nine days in October. Students and professors, members of industry, and...

October 22, 2007 — Moving Entire Houses!

Have you ever had to pack up and move? A new house...a new city? Well, multiply that by about 100 times and you've got moving day at the 2007 Solar Decathlon. Can you just imagine gathering up all those last...

October 21, 2007 — Disassembling the Village

Faster than it went up, it seems, the village starts to come down. As of 10 p.m. last night, the 2007 Solar Decathlon shifted into disassembly mode. The Decathlon teams, site operations, security, safety, and everyone else are all back...

Commentary

The commentary section highlights media and blog coverage of the Solar Decathlon. You'll also find remarks from the teams, organizers, and sponsors.

Electronic Guestbook

Share your experiences and thoughts about the Solar Decathlon.

August 02, 2007 — I Visited the Solar Decathlon and...

Tell us what you saw and did during your visit to the Solar Decathlon. Were you able to visit all the houses, talk with team members and get a lot of great pictures? If so, we'd love to hear about...

About Teams

Media coverage and blog postings about Solar Decathlon teams.

January 30, 2008 — 2009 Teams Announced!

The teams for the 2009 Solar Decathlon have been announced. From the EERE news page: DOE Selects 20 Teams for the 2009 Solar Decathlon DOE announced on January 24 the 20 university teams that will participate in the 2009 Solar...

October 16, 2007 — Want to know the score?

Check out the scores, updated every 15 minutes, by clicking here!

October 02, 2007 — "Who are the teams and how did they get here?"

Who are the teams? The Solar Decathlon is a competition among 20 teams from some of the world’s most distinguished universities. Each team is made up of 20-50 architecture, engineering, business, design, and communications students and faculty. Each team in...

From Teams

Posts from the Solar Decathlon teams.

September 06, 2007 — After the Decathlon

When the Solar Decathlon competition is finished in Washington, D.C., most of the teams will take their houses back to their campuses and use them for research. The University of Illinois entry, known as "elementhouse," will eventually be used for...

Inside Solar Decathlon

Posts from the Department of Energy, organizers, and sponsors.

November 16, 2007 — "Let the Children Play..."

We love getting mail. This week, our boss (Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner) heard from John Barrett of Reston, VA. He shared with us that he coaches a team of 9–11 year olds (the Sea Monsters) who are competing in the...

November 16, 2007 — News of the Wired November 16

Hello everyone! You didn't think we'd forgotten you, did you? Not a chance. The Solar Decathlon 2007 is over (by about a month now) but we're already hard at work on Solar Decathlon 2009. You only THINK it's a long...

October 31, 2007 — People's Choice Winner!

You know, in all the excitement of announcing the overall winner of the Solar Decathlon, it seems we didn't publicize the winner of the People's Choice ballot, filled out by many of our visitors to the event. The suspense is...

Media Coverage

Media coverage about the Solar Decathlon competition.

January 30, 2008 — News of the Wired - January 30, 2008

It's been awhile since our last News of the Wired, but the online world has not forgotten the Solar Decathlon. With the announcement of the twenty teams selected for the 2009 event, interest is percolating through the Web, so let's...

October 16, 2007 — News of the Wired- October 16

It's been awhile since we posted a "News of the Wired" item but that doesn't mean the blogging world has ignored the Decathlon. Far from it! From Energy Priorities: Solar Decathlon 2007 Draws 100,00 To See Energy-Efficient Homes "Some funny-looking...

September 28, 2007 — News of the Wired- Sept 28

Welcome back to your place for more Solar Decathlon news from the Internet. From PodTech: Santa Clara University Students Compete in Solar Decathlon "Solar Decathlon is a competition between 20 international (but mostly U.S.) universities to build a solar, green...