The U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Lab have chosen 20 university and college teams to take part in the 2005 Solar Decathlon, a 10-part competition to design the most beautiful and energy-efficient house. Once again, the teams will construct their prototypes on the National Mall and create a “Solar Village” open to the public. The AIA, one of the original sponsors of last year’s inaugural decathlon, will also cosponsor the 2005 contest.

Each team will design and build a 500-square-foot house completely powered by solar energy. The 20 selected colleges and universities are:

• California Polytechnic State University—San Luis Obispo
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Concordia University
• Cornell University
• Crowder College
• Florida International University
• New York Institute of Technology
• Rhode Island School of Design
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• University of Colorado—Denver and Boulder
• University of Maryland
• University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth
• University of Michigan
• University of Missouri—Rolla and the Rolla Technical Institute
• University of Puerto Rico—Mayagüez
• University of Southern California
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Virginia
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Washington State University.

Ten contests
Like its athletic namesake, the Solar Decathlon consists of 10 contests.

• Design and livability: A jury of architects will judge design, innovation, and aesthetics. This is the only category worth 200 points; the others are worth 100 points each.
• Design presentation and simulation: This contest evaluates the production of an imaginative and thorough set of documents illustrating the construction of each team's house and the simulation of its energy performance.
• Graphics and communication: Each team must produce its own Web site and newsletters, as well as conduct live tours for the visiting public.
• The comfort zone: This contest will evaluate each house for its ability to ensure interior comfort through natural ventilation, heating, cooling, and humidity controls using a minimum amount of energy supplied entirely by the sun.
• Refrigeration: The challenge of this contest is to maintain appropriate temperatures in a refrigerator and freezer while minimizing energy use.
• Hot water: Teams need to provide a shower with a capacity of 15 gallons of water at 110°F in 10 minutes, plus run automatic clothes washers and dishwashers.
• Energy balance: This contest measures the amount of energy going into batteries from the solar electric system and the amount of electrical energy being drawn from the batteries to meet the house's electrical needs.
• Lighting: The house may use both electric lights and daylight.
• Home business: The house must provide enough power to satisfy the energy needs of a small business operated from the home.
• Getting around: Excess energy produced by the house will be used to power an electric vehicle around town.

Working with the AIA, the contest sponsors include bp solar and Home Depot. For more information, visit the Solar Decathlon Web site.

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