Inside Solar Decathlon
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...
October 24, 2007 — We're Not Done Yet
Just because Solar Decathlon 2007 is now one for the history books does not mean this blog is going away. True, Richard King will no longer pen Daily Journal entries. You'll have to wait until, oh, 2009 (probably) for him...
October 19, 2007 — WINNING TEAMS ANNOUNCED!
With an introduction from Alexander Karsner (Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy), Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced the winners of the 2007 Solar Decathlon. Praising the teams and their contributions to the world's need for renewable...
October 19, 2007 — Engineering Contest Winners Announced
Inside the Welcome Tent on the National Mall, Solar Decathlon director Richard King introduced the last award to be announced: the Engineering contest award. The Engineering Contest awards 150 points, the second most points available. Clearly, the Solar Decathlon houses...
October 18, 2007 — Solar Decathlon Europe? Could be...
The U.S. Department of Energy just issued this release (excerpted here): U.S. and Spain to Develop Solar Decathlon Europe WASHINGTON, DC - Today U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner and Spain's...
October 18, 2007 — Market Viability Winners Announced
The Market Viability contest winners were announced at 10am at the Solar Decathlon. Robert Burt, chairman of the Market Viability jury, remarked that the houses were impressive and reflected a sophisticated sense of design and marketability. The Market Viability contest...
October 17, 2007 — Building Industry Day at Solar Decathlon!
Although the Solar Decathlon is first and foremost a competition among 20 college and university teams, it is also an opportunity to help the public and private industry learn more about energy efficiency and renewable energy. Solar Decathlon's Building Industry...
October 17, 2007 — Crunch Time!
At this point (Wednesday morning), the Solar Decathlon has been underway for almost a week. A handful of contests have been decided—Architecture, Communications, and Lighting have all been announced—while others are still underway. With two contests (Market Viability and Engineering)...
October 17, 2007 — Lighting award winners announced
The Lighting contest winners were announced at 10am this morning in the Solar Village. Look for a more comprehensive post later, but for now: 1st place: University of Maryland 2nd place: Technische Universität Darmstadt 3rd place: Team Montréal (École de...
October 16, 2007 — Reminder: Tomorrow Solar Decathlon is CLOSED!
On Wednesday, October 17, the 20 Solar Decathlon team homes will be closed to the public and no tours will be available. The homes will be undergoing testing as part of the Decathlon's schedule of contests and must limit traffic...
October 16, 2007 — Communications winners announced
The Solar Decathlon organizers released the following statement at 10am this morning, regarding the winners of the Communications contest: This contest judged the effectiveness of each team’s Web site and house tour in reaching the general public with information on...
October 15, 2007 — Architecture winners announced
The first jury-awarded contest winners have been announced. The architecture contest is the biggest single point-value award, with a possible maximum of 200 points. Third place: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 102 points Second place: University of Maryland, 107 points First...
October 13, 2007 — Take a Look!
Solar Decathlon 2007 is roaring along with crowds on the National Mall and the competition ready to begin. What, you haven't seen the Decathlon yet? Well, say no more! Click here and take a look at the photographs taken at...
October 13, 2007 — Visit the Solar Decathlon!
This is Drew Bittner, your Solar Decathlon blogger, welcoming you to the Solar Decathlon! If you live in the Washington, DC, area, definitely make plans to visit; the 2007 event is the biggest and best yet. Be aware that the...
October 10, 2007 — Counting Down
There's less than 48 hours to go before the Solar Decathlon begins. The solar village is a beehive of activity, with teams racing to complete their homes before opening ceremonies on Friday at 10 a.m. As shown in the photos,...
October 03, 2007 — Construction Begins
At midnight on October 3, the teams began constructing their houses!
October 02, 2007 — This is the National Mall Today
Take a good look. You can see, in these shots, the perspective from near the Smithsonian Metro exit toward the Capitol Building in one, and toward the Washington Monument on the other. By tomorrow, this view will be amazingly different....
October 02, 2007 — "What Exactly is the Solar Decathlon?"
Just recently, I participated in a podcast describing the Solar Decathlon. The information in the podcast seems like a good way of introducing the competition to those who haven’t heard much (or anything) about it to date—so we thought we...
