The 2007 Solar Decathlon

This past Sunday (9/23/07), Santa Clara University, a rising star in clean tech, shipped its entry to the International Solar Decathlon Competition to be held on the Mall in Washington DC from October 12 –20, 2007. As the sole successful entry from the West Coast of the United States, their entry represents not only the “greenest” part of our country, but the best example of the vast unreleased potential of our next generation’s focus on renewable energy.
The Solar Decathlon is a competition sponsored by the US Department of Energy bringing together twenty international university undergraduate teams to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered houses in the world. This is no science project. You might expect such an effort to result in odd looking unconventional structures typical of “house of the future” exercises, but the scoring criteria of the Solar Decathlon specifically reward entries that are livable, practical and economical as well as innovative and energy efficient.

A tour through Santa Clara's 650 sqft. interior and equally spacious outdoor deck presents an impression comparable to a high-end newlywed apartment. Meticulous attention to interior design elements make the inside bright and friendly with an open feeling that affords both privacy and accessibility. Woven into the livable layout are an endless matrix of innovations in design for efficiency.

As the name would suggest, the foundation of the Solar Decathlon home is the gathering of solar energy. So appropriately, the roof blossoms with solar electric and solar thermal collectors. Solar electric energy is either used or stored in an economical battery array while solar thermal heated water is used for hot water and also cold water and air thanks to the first residential application of solar-hot-water-powered air conditioning.

Walk up the decks and step inside to be greeted by a showcase of attractive and functional renewable materials. The walls around you are insulated with material made from recycled denim. Kitchen and bathroom tiles are made from recycled glass. The cabinets and flooring are made of easy to grow and highly renewable bamboo. Look up and you will see the first code-compliant load bearing bamboo beams in North America. Every corner of the home has a design element story that is practical today.

Remind yourself that this entire project including engineering, design, logistics, and even publicity is executed by undergraduate students. To see the energy unleashed in these students toward the goal of green building design practices is to see the future. Their goal is not to simply earn course credit. They want to show the world how this can actually be done. Santa Clara’s entry is but one of twenty in the competition. It mirrors the commitment and enthusiasm of the Class of ’08 around the World.

If you can arrange the opportunity, visit the Washington Mall in October to see the Solar Decathlon competition and immerse yourself in a preview of the excitement that will characterize this solar century.