Representatives from the Grand Winner Team from Prairie View A&M University. The 2018 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge (Race to Zero Student Design Competition) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado on April 23, 2018
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge is an annual competition, open to students and faculty from any interested collegiate institution. The Solar Decathlon Design Challenge showcases the future of the built environment: high-performance buildings so energy efficient that their annual energy use can easily be offset with renewable energy.
In support of this ambitious challenge, the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge tasks collegiate teams with developing innovative building solutions. Participating students get hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter the clean energy workforce and influence others to pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The winners of the Solar Decathlon competition are the teams that best blend technology, market potential, and design excellence with smart energy efficiency and renewable energy production.
The 2019 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge will be held April 12-14, 2019 on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) main campus in Golden, Colorado.
To prepare for the event, the new Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Competition Guide is available, and the team application website is open. Start your application to gain access to additional competition information and resources. Teams must complete their team application online by November 6, 2018.
For more information about the competition, please visit Solar Decathlon Design Challenge website.
ASHRAE is a proud sponsor for the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. As a sponsor, ASHRAE nominates a juror, provides technical resources, as well as access to local student branches and chapters.
The 2018 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge (Race to Zero) was held at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, April 22–23. The competition featured 40 teams from 34 universities that competed to design zero energy ready homes. Students were tasked with creating a new house design or redesigning an existing floorplan to meet the competition's cost-effective, high-performance home energy requirements. During the final portion of the competition the students presented their innovative designs to a panel of national experts. Check out the list of winners.
If you're interested in being a juror, contact students@ashrae.org.