WHAT IS THE SOLAR DECATHLON?

The Solar Decathlon is a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in partnership with its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Conceived in 1999, the Solar Decathlon brings together 20 teams from colleges and universities around the world to design, build, and operate the most energy-efficient, attractive, and comfortable solar-powered house.
 
In the fall of 2009 teams will bring their houses to the National Mall in Washington D.C. to be evaluated in ten contests to test how efficiently the house utilizes its solar technologies. After an outstanding 3rd place finish in 2007, Santa Clara University is excited to be returning to the competition in 2009, this time in partnership with California College of the Arts’ architecture program.