DIY Network

Solar Decathlon: The Competitions, Part 2 From "Special Presentation" episode DSDL05-S

Solar architecture is looking good!

The biggest thing that people should walk away with is that solar architecture can be anything you want it to be. Solar architecture can take any form. It can look good, smell good and taste good.

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Preparing dinner for six using solar powered appliances is a nightly requirement.

Appliance Competition

Eating is part of the competition...well, cooking the food is anyway!

Cornell Solar Decathlon Team

• Menu (from garden) will include greens, cabbage, ornamental kale, beet greens, parsley and to give it a little kick, Thai chili peppers.

New York Solar Decathlon Team

• A vegetarian chili made with a variety of squashes, beans, cumin, cayenne pepper.

• Dessert is a fresh brewed green tea sorbet.

	The Washington State team used evacuated tubes to heat their water.
	The water must be between 100 and 110 degrees in order to get partial credit.

Hot Water Competition

• The Washington State Solar Decathlon Team used tubes with a little piece of copper at the end. When the sun hits the copper, it heats up and the water runs by it and the heat is transferred to the water.

• This competition includes filling up a 15 gallon tub of water and being able to fill it in 10 minutes and having the temperature of the water at least 110 degrees in order to pass. The key is to keep the water just hot enough to get points but not so hot that electricity is wasted.

• A laundry test is also included. Dry towels are given to each team and weighed beforehand. The teams have to wash the towels reaching a temperature of 100 degrees and then dry them. They then bring the towels back in a fixed period of time.

For more information on the Solar Decathlon competition and the teams that participated, click HERE!

RESOURCES :

Solar Decathlon
Website: www.solardecathlon.com

Solar Decathlon Product Directory
Website: www.ebike.net/sd/index.php?source=doe

California Polytechnic State University
Website: www.solardecathlon.calpoly.edu/

Canadian Solar Decathlon
Concordia University and Universite de Montreal
Website: www.canadiansolar.org

Cornell University
Website: www.cusd.cornell.edu/

Crowder College
Website: www.crowder.edu/solar/2005/

Florida International University
Website: www.solar.fiu.edu/

New York Institute of Technology
Website: http://iris.nyit.edu/solardecathlon/

Pittsburgh Synergy
Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh and
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Website: www.pittsburghsynergy.org

Rhode Island School of Design
Website: http://solar.risd.edu/

Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Website: www.solardecathlon.upm.es/

Universidad de Puerto Rico
Website: http://solar.uprm.edu/

University of Colorado, Denver and Boulder
Website: http://solar.colorado.edu/

University of Maryland
Website: www.solarhouse.umd.edu/

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Website: www.umassd.edu/solar/

University of Michigan
Website: www.misohouse.org

University of Missouri-Rolla and
Rolla Technical Institute
Website: http://solarhouse.umr.edu/

University of Texas at Austin
Website: www.utsolard.org

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Website: http://vtsolar.arch.vt.edu/

Washington State University
Website: www.arch.wsu.edu/solardec/