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Photo of a young woman talking on a cell phone in front of a computer in a small home office. She wears a hard hat that says "ZEROW HOUSE."

The Rice University ZEROW HOUSE is built in traditional "shotgun" style. Here, a Rice team member works in the home office.

Frequently Asked Questions

These frequently asked questions about the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon provide a quick overview of the event. If you still have questions after reviewing these and the rest of the site, please contact us.

What is the Solar Decathlon?

The Solar Decathlon challenges 20 college teams from around the globe in 10 contests to design, build, and operate the most livable, energy-efficient, and completely solar-powered house. Solar Decathlon houses must power all the home energy needs of a typical family using only the power of the sun. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends aesthetics and modern conveniences with maximum energy production and optimal efficiency. The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005 and 2007.

When and where is the next Solar Decathlon?

The next Solar Decathlon is in October 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

  • Oct. 8-16—Teams compete in 10 contests
  • Oct. 9-13—Houses are open to the public
  • Oct. 15-18—Houses are open to the public
  • Oct. 19-21—Teams disassemble their houses

The Solar Decathlon houses are open for public tours 11 a.m.­–3 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Please note that all houses are closed Wed., Oct. 14.

Why hold a Solar Decathlon?

The Solar Decathlon serves several purposes:

  • To educate the student participants about the many benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency and to challenge the students to think in new ways about energy and how it impacts our everyday lives.

  • To raise awareness among the general public about renewable energy and energy efficiency and what technologies are available today to help them reduce their energy usage. The event serves to encourage all of us to act responsibly when making energy choices.

  • To help move solar energy technologies to the marketplace faster. The Solar Decathlon helps accelerate the research and development of energy efficiency and energy production technologies.

  • To foster collaboration among students from different academic disciplines—including engineering and architecture students, who rarely work together until they enter the workplace.

  • To promote an integrated, or "whole building design," approach to new construction. This approach differs from the traditional design/build process, as the design team considers the interactions of all building components and systems to create a more comfortable building, save energy, and reduce environmental impact.

  • To demonstrate to the public the potential of zero-energy homes, which combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with commercially available renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating and solar electricity. The combination results in a home that produces its own energy and, although the home might be connected to a utility grid, it has net zero energy consumption from the utility provider.

Who competes in the Solar Decathlon?

Twenty teams from colleges and universities across the globe participate in the Solar Decathlon. Today's students are tomorrow's engineers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs, and homeowners. The Solar Decathlon encourages students to incorporate energy efficiency and solar energy into their future professional projects and personal lives.

Like Olympic athletes, the Solar Decathletes draw on all of their strengths, including design and architecture, engineering and performance, and education and promotion. The teams rely on expertise from many disciplines as they spend months fundraising, planning, designing, analyzing, and finally building and improving their homes. Future engineers work with future architects to create high-performance homes that are also highly attractive.

How are the competitors selected?

Teams composed of faculty and students from numerous post-secondary institutions submit proposals and plans for consideration. The Solar Decathlon Proposal Review Committee assesses these entries and selects teams. The committee consists of engineers, scientists, and other experts from the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

In October 2009, 20 teams from colleges and universities from around the world will again gather to compete. See the 2009 Request for Proposals, which might be useful for planning purposes if you are interested in competing in future Solar Decathlons.

What goes into building and operating a Solar Decathlon house?

The student teams spend almost two years designing and building their approximately 800-square-foot homes and preparing for the competition. Students test their homes in contests encompassing all the ways we use energy in our daily lives.

The competition places demands on the buildings' energy systems to maintain the house within a certain temperature range, to provide lighting, to run appliances, and much more. The homes generate energy with photovoltaic (also called solar electric) systems, to produce electricity, and with solar thermal systems for space heating and cooling and water heating.

Who sponsors the Solar Decathlon?

The Solar Decathlon is an educational project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is organized by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and sponsored by the private sector.

What are the 10 contests?

Where can I see the teams' house designs?

This Web site features complete "as-built" drawings and submittals from previous teams.

How much do the houses cost?

The construction costs of the team houses vary widely based on the technologies employed and the target market for which they were designed. In general, however, construction costs range from about $200,000 to more than $800,000. It is important to remember, however, that these houses are one-of-a-kind designs. If they were to be mass-produced, as most residential homes are, their overall costs would likely decrease significantly.

Learn more about Solar Decathlon house construction costs, including individual construction cost ranges and information about how these figures were derived.

What is net metering?

Today, the majority of homes with solar systems are connected to the utility grid through a meter. The flow of electricity is in two directions, giving homeowners the ability to draw electricity from the grid if needed and to give back to the utility grid any excess electricity their homes produce. This is called net metering.

What happens to the houses after the competition?

Some of the homes are sold to recover costs or raise money for future teams. For instance, the 2007 Kansas home was purchased by Sun Edison, which plans to use it as a demonstration home.

Most of the homes, however, are being used for research and are on display for public tours at their respective universities. Missouri Rolla, a participant in all of the Solar Decathlons, has formed a permanent Solar Village with its 2002, 2005, and 2007 houses at the university's Student Design and Experiential Learning Center.

What is a zero-energy home?

A zero-energy home (ZEH) produces as much energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, as it consumes. Even though the home might be connected to a utility grid, it has net-zero energy consumption from the utility provider—usually measured on an annual basis.

What is building-integrated PV technology?

One of the fastest-growing segments of the solar industry, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology incorporates PV panels into buildings during construction. BIPV replaces traditional building materials such as roofs, window overhangs, and walls to improve system reliability while reducing costs.