Buildings and Infrastructure

Winner of 2013 Solar Decathlon Announced!

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October 16, 2013

Credit: Stefano Paltera/DOE Solar Decathlon. And the winner of the 6th Solar Decathlon is... Team Austria! Their solar-powered home was chosen as the most efficient, affordable, and attractive house in an international competition hosted in Irvine, California, by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Solar Decathlon invites teams of college students from around the world to build an innovative, energy-efficient home that is entirely powered by solar energy. According to the DOE, “The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”

"The solutions are impressive. The innovation and creativity are inspiring,” writes Richard King, the DOE official who started the project in 2002. All of the competing teams entered impressive homes into the competition, and for the first time in decathlon history, all 19 homes produced more energy than they used.

At the beginning of the biennial competition, the Department of Energy grants each qualifying team $100,000, and over the next two years the students raise any additional funds they need to design and build their home. Their hard work culminates in a one-week competition, during which each home is subjected to a series of tests that include a range of everyday household activities such as washing dishes, running appliances, regulating climate, and hosting a dinner party. Each team must hold two dinner parties judged by the members of an opposing team. The dinners test each home's social utility and also allow the students to trade competition stories and suggestions in a comfortable environment. During competition week, the ‘Solar Decathlon Village’ is open to the public. People are encouraged to explore the innovative solar homes and vote for their favorite. This year’s 'People’s Favorite' was the University of North Carolina house.

Austria's Living Inspired by Sustainable Innovation (LISI) (credit: Jason Flakes/DOE Solar Decathlon)
The overall winner of this year’s competition, the Austrian team, scored high in a wide range of categories, winning 951.9 points out of the 1,000 points possible. Their net-positive home, called LISI (Living Inspired by Sustainable Innovation), has a distinctive mesh curtain that can open and close depending on the sun's intensity. The curtain also allows homeowners to decide how enclosed or open they want their space to be. Among its innovative technologies is an "energy-recovery ventilation unit," an air-conditioning system that exchanges heat and humidity between exhaust air and fresh intake air for a clean and comfortable living climate. In the shower, a heat-recovering tray reduces the energy demand for hot water by almost one-third; and on the patio, an outdoor herb garden draws its water from a rainwater reservoir built into the walls. Constructed from lightweight and renewable materials, Team Austria's house is a sustainable, affordable, and adaptable home for an environmentally responsible homeowner.

The Solar Decathlon provides students and the public with valuable insights into the future of sustainable living. "Since the first competition in 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has provided unique training to approximately 17,000 students, preparing them to become the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in clean energy technology and efficient building design." For the public, the competition offers thousands of people the opportunity to see first-hand what kind of clean technologies exist, and just how practical and affordable they can be.


Author: Gabrielle Tilley


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