Santa Clara University

In a nail-biter of a finish, SCU+CCA Team California took 3rd Place in the 2009 Solar Decathlon! It all came down to performance in the engineering and net metering contests. The teams waited nervously as the engineering contest winners were announced. The second place team was commended for their "close collaboration between engineers and architects;" that's when we knew it was us and that we now had a good chance to place in the top three overall.

Richard King, Director of the Solar Decathlon, said they intentionally kept the net metering results a secret to build some drama--and they sure did! But when we heard that the 3rd place team overall had thought "outside the box," our hopes soared and our pulses raced until we heard "Team California" announced!

To come in 3rd Place in this international competition between "20 gems of different hues" is an amazing accomplishment for our students, our faculty, and our institution. With a great whoop, our team yelled out, "Dance party at Refract House!" It was a wonderful sight to see the team laughing and dancing in a joyful display of camaraderie and celebration!

Go Broncos!!!