The U.S. Department of Energy has revealed the 20 teams of college students participating in the next Solar Decathlon.
The teams, hailing from the U.S. and abroad, will spend the next two years developing solar homes to be displayed at the 2015 Solar Decathlon held in Orange County Great Park, California.
The homes will be judged on factors like energy efficiency, architecture, engineering, innovation and affordability. The competition not only gives students hands on experience preparing them for the clean technology workforce, but also offers the public a chance to see renewable energy at work.
One of the homes at the 2011 Solar Decathlon.
“As President Obama made clear in the State of the Union address, we need an all-of-the-above energy strategy that creates a safer and more sustainable planet, while ensuring American students and workers have the skills they need for the challenging jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman.
“The Solar Decathlon provides the next generation of America’s architects, engineers, and entrepreneurs with the real world experience and training they need to strengthen U.S. innovation and support new, clean sources of energy,” he added.
From 2002 until 2011, the event was held in Washington D.C. but has since moved to California to give a different set of visitors the chance to see solar energy in action first hand.
The following teams have been selected to compete in Solar Decathlon 2015:
- California Polytechnic State University
- California State University, Sacramento
- Clemson University
- Crowder College and Drury University
- Lansing Community College and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
- Missouri University of Science and Technology
- New York City College of Technology
- Oregon Institute of Technology and Portland State University
- Stanford University
- State University of New York at Alfred College of Technology and Alfred University
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- University of Florida, National University of Singapore, and Santa Fe College
- The University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen
- University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Irvine; Saddleback College; Chapman University; and Irvine Valley College
- Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University
- West Virginia University and University of Roma Tor Vergata
- Western New England University, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana
- Yale University
“Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has shown how hard work, imagination, and collaboration can energize collegiate teams to design, build and operate attractive, efficient, solar-powered homes,” said Tom Kimbis, vice president of executive affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
“SEIA congratulates the twenty teams selected by the U.S. Department of Energy from schools representing more than a dozen states to compete in the 2015 Solar Decathlon and wishes success to them all,” he continued.
