Solar Decathlon Blog

Broncos Gear Up for 2013 Competition

mkrause@scu.edu (Marika Krause) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:56:00 PST

For the SCU 2013 Solar Decathlon team, the challenge of building a solar house is testing more than just design and engineering skills. The U.S. Department of Energy’s competition is putting the students in many roles they have never explored.

Meet 2013 Team Santa Clara

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:10:00 PST

SCU is proud to be participating in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon for the third time, following 3rd Place finishes in both 2007 and 2009. Meet the new team here.

Team California Shines in Solar Decathlon

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:58:00 PST

Read an article for CNN by Preet Anand, SCU '10, about his experience with the Solar Decathlon.

SCU+CCA Takes 3rd Place Overall, 2nd in Engineering!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:28:00 PST

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!!!

The Latest from Rainy D.C.

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:46:00 PST

It is cold and rainy in D.C. – not ideal conditions for generating solar power! The team is a little downhearted this morning watching our lead slip as homes with more PV are adding up points at a faster pace under these cloudy conditions. Prof. Tim Hight reports, “Realistically, given the weather conditions, it will be very difficult to maintain our lead, but we will keep fighting. It will be tough to overcome Germany’s advantage in power.” (Germany’s house is covered in PV, so it is able to maximize its capability to capture energy.) But then Dr. Hight adds with a shrug, “Stranger things have happened!” Kadee Mardula, SCU ’11, notes, “Our position all along has been that sustainability and ‘green’ living doesn’t have to involve compromise or sacrifice, so we designed Refract House to be energy efficient, but also beautiful and very livable.” It’s true; walking past all the homes on the National Mall yesterday, the Dean of Engineering Godfrey Mungal and I were blown away with how stunning Refract House is—photos and videos don’t do it justice!

Yesterday, the team spent the day sharing their message with Representatives from Congress Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, and Sam Farr (Monterey), and Senators Boxer and Feinstein. While a few of the students and faculty members had a great meeting with Sen. Feinstein, the others rode in a little underground train traveling between the Senate Office Building and the Capitol for a photo with Sen. Boxer in the President’s Room. Years ago, this elegant room was used for signing treaties—it was a privilege to be afforded this rare visit. The team also enjoyed a tour of the Capitol. While waiting for the tour to begin, Preet Anand (SCU ’10) conducted a live radio interview via cell phone—our students are ready at any moment to spread the word! The Capitol tour included a short film about Congress, and I was struck by these words: “Answers in America come from not one voice, but many.” Isn’t that what the Solar Decathlon is all about? Our SCU students and faculty have joined their voices with those from California College of the Arts to form a partnership that has transformed both engineers and architects. As a team, they have joined their voices with those from 19 other colleges and universities gathered in Washington for this competition with the goal of changing how the world views and uses energy. Tomorrow, the final results will be announced and 20 teams will come away winners.

First Place in Communications Contest!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:31:00 PST

Yesterday, SCU+CCA Team California took first place in the Communications Contest and remained the overall leader in the Decathlon! Among other accolades, our team was commended for their ability to engage different audiences, for the excellent educational experience they provide, and for their strong (and easily navigable) website. Watch this fun video of the announcement - the team is visibly shocked when their name is called!

So, three contests down, seven to go and the excitement is building as we approach the end of the competition on Friday. Today, the houses are closed to the public as measurements for hot water, comfort zone, appliances, home entertainment and net metering are taken. This gives some of the students a chance to catch their breath, unwind a bit, and rest their voices - welcoming over 3,000 visitors to your home per day is taxing! It won't be too restful, though,as they will meet in the morning with pols on Capitol Hill, spreading the word about sustainability and clean energy.

First place in Architecture!!!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:29:00 PST

A nearly hysterical Allison Kopf (student project manager, SCU ’11) called this morning with the tremendous news that the SCU+CCA Team California Refract House had just taken FIRST PLACE IN ARCHITECTURE, and tied for third place in the Market Viability contest!!! Valiantly working to hold her emotions in check, she said, “There are smiles and tears all around!” Prof. Tim Hight, said (understatedly), “It’s pretty happy here.” The excitement built as the team learned the results for market viability and waited to hear the architecture standings. “They made the announcement for architecture and there were two teams tied for third place, then they announced second, and then Team California was named first place. It’s so exciting to see Team California listed in first place for the overall standings!” he said. Congratulations and a big thank you to our partner, California College of the Arts for their stunning design and architectural expertise! Watch video of Team California's architecture win and of our 3rd Place Market Viability announcement.

Now, it’s right back to work. “It’s a cool and cloudy day here in D.C., so we have some decisions to make on where to use our energy,” Hight continued. “Tim Sennott (SCU ’09) will be working the numbers to a fine point, trying to keep our house warm while maximizing efficiency and staying within the comfort zone under these weather conditions.”

Watch Allison Kopf's Opening Ceremonies Address on YouTube.

Smart Home from Smart Students.

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:27:00 PST

SCU Provost Lucia Gilbert checked in from D.C., saying the opening ceremony yesterday was very moving and that Allison Kopf (SCU ’11) was "wonderful, of course,” as she addressed the throng of decathletes and visitors. Our “cool factor” went up significantly as Refract House was under heavy security by the Secret Service in preparation for Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s interview for CBS’ 60 Minutes in our living room.

Did you know that apart from being solar-powered and built of sustainable materials, Refract House is also a smarthome? Preet Anand (SCU ’10) explains it beautifully to CNN: “Everything in our house is monitored, from how much hot water is used when taking a shower to how much energy is generated by solar panels. This is tracked in real time, allowing the homeowners to educate themselves about the effects of their actions on resource consumption.” Our engineering students designed an iPhone application so circuits can easily be turned on and off to save energy. Smartphone, smarthome, smart students! Read the full article (including SCU’s own Chuck Barry’s awesome photographs!)

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Solar Decathlon team! Text "HOUSE31" to 99503. Do it today; voting ends SOON! Tell your friends, too!

Have you seen the virtual tour of Refract House? Check it out! Click on +EXPLORE

Keep track of the overall standings here.

Nice photos of Allison at the podium and the team with Secretary Chu.

Technology Introduced in Refract House Makes News

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:31:00 PST

Working with a group of alums from the 2007 SCU Solar Decathlon Team, SCU engineering students have created a control system that blends different engineering systems in the home into one usable platform for Refract House. Users can easily adjust and monitor lighting, windows, shades, heating and cooling, water use, and entertainment using an application students developed for an iPhone. Read about it in NPR's All Tech Considered.

Your Vote is Needed Today!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:27:00 PST

SCU needs your help in winning the coveted Solar Decathlon People's Choice Award. This award gives you the opportunity to vote for the team house you like best (Team California's!).

Simply text "HOUSE31" to 99503. (One vote per cell phone allowed.) Do it today; voting ends SOON!

The Solar Decathlon begins today!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:10:00 PST

After two years of planning, designing, engineering, and building, our SCU+CCA Team California is ready to welcome the world through the doors of Refract House on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.! Student Project Manager Allison Kopf (SCU ’11) has the honor of joining Energy Secretary Steven Chu to address the crowd at the Opening Ceremonies. And, as if that were not enough, SCU and CCA students were thrilled to learn that CBS will be interviewing Secretary Chu for its news program 60 Minutes (which boasts more than 9 million viewers!) in OUR SOLAR HOUSE this morning! We will post the air date and more information soon. Our student team is making us proud—working around the clock on getting the house ready for competition and visitors, talking with media, and preparing for the blitz that is the Solar Decathlon. Watch Allison's speech on YouTube.

Sure to be a topic of buzz on the National Mall, one of the innovations being introduced in our 2009 entry is a carbon meter. Thanks to a grant from the California Energy Commission, Santa Clara University has been working with SolarTech (a PV industry consortium) to develop this concept. Over the past year, it has been developed and tested on SCU's campus on our 2007 Solar Decathlon entry, Ripple House. With great results being achieved, students were excited to install the meter on Refract House to measure carbon offsets at real-time rates. In the future, it is expected this type of monitoring will allow homeowners to be compensated for saving energy while contributing to the health of the planet, enabling a potential economy of carbon cap and trade.

Watch this fun video from The Washington Post showing our SCU and California flags waving, and our student, Preet Anand (SCU ’10) getting the last word! More on our team in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. A great photo of our team with Secretary Chu here: cnet news and an interview with NPR.

Ready to Rock and Roll!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:11:00 PST

Refract House is up and running on the grid! The PV panels are generating power, the controls and monitoring interface is up (read about this in Kadee's blog entry), landscaping is taking shape, and with all the big jobs done, the students are working excitedly to finish up the final touches to be ready for the public tomorrow. In addition to working against the clock to finish work on the house, team members are also responding to a constant flow of requests for interviews with the media--just an average day for a Solar Decathlete! Support and good wishes are rolling in as well from Santa Clara City Hall, the California Hydrogen Business Council, and Team California's many wonderful sponsors. We are pumped and ready to go! Read Richard King's Daily Journal.

Refract House Makes History!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST

Refract House made history yesterday as it was "the first Solar Decathlon house ever to be connected with a microgrid." Richard King, Solar Decathlon Director, writes all about it in his daily journal on the official Website for the Solar Decathlon. He also notes, "Inspection Officer Tom Meyers believes the work being done by the student teams is about 10 years ahead of what is used by today's architects, engineers, and contractors," and lists as an example SCU's own bamboo structural rafters and I-joists that feature an open-web design to ease construction. Similar to the bamboo I-beams developed for SCU's 2007 entry, these trestle-shaped beams have been altered to allow ducting, electrical wiring, and plumbing to run through while maintaining structural support for the roof. Read more.

Assembly begins on the National Mall!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:32:00 PST

Students are hard at work getting Refract House re-assembled and ready for the Opening Ceremonies on October 8. View a slide show of day 1 construction on the Mall.

From Prof. Tim Hight

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:38:00 PST

Reassembly began at 12:01 a.m. today. Students have been working non-stop, and all three modules of the house are on the mall and together. So far, things are going well! Read the DOE account of move-in.

Engineering TV features Refract House

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:03:00 PST

SCU Solar Decathlete Preet Anand (BS '10) is interviewed for Engineering TV.

From faculty advisors Tim Hight and Jim Reites, S.J.

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:53:00 PST

All five trucks (three with the house modules and two with tools, household goods, and a couple of bikes for getting around) arrived safely in D.C. The team heaved a huge sigh of relief when the doors were opened and the glass walls were found to be intact!! Students are working hard cleaning the modules, taking numerous trips to Home Depot, repairing a segment of the roof that was damaged in transit, reinstalling the racking system for the PV panels, and completing or improving areas that were not quite right, so overall the house is getting better. They are working late, getting rained on, working well together, and having a blast! Visit the student blog.

SCU Solar Decathletes Featured in Popular Mechanics

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:36:00 PST

Santa Clara University students are featured in an article about the Solar Decathlon in October's Popular Mechanics.

SCU Gets Its Day in the Sun

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:53:00 PST

Student project manager Allison Kopf '11 has been selected to help kick-off the U.S. Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., on October 8.

And They're Off!

hwilliams@scu.edu (Heidi Williams) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:31:00 PST

SCU students and their solar house are heading to Washington, D.C. for the Solar Decathlon.