![]() This week the Department of Energy announced that the 2015 Solar Decathlon will again be sited at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California ( link). Traditionally, the Decathlon was held in Washington, DC, but moved to Irvine for the 2013 contest. In Irvine in October, the average temperature is 64 ˚F, practically room temperature! (In Washington, DC in October, the average temperature is cooler, though still mild at 59˚F.) This is a significant and disappointing decision because it confirms that the contest is about solar electricity, not solar heating. The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002 at the National Mall in Washington DC, and the 2013 competition marks the first time that it has been held on the west coast in Irvine, CA. I'm a big supporter of solar electricity, to be sure, but passive solar heating ought to be central to the challenge and to the definition of a 'solar house' and a 'net-zero' house. Most of the places in the US are not like Irvine in October they have significant heating demands that can be reduced through passive solar design. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon, a competition that challenges architecture and. Solar decathlon shelter 3 Twenty-foot wide sliding doors (with the same armor-like cladding) can be easily closed minutes before a storm, effectively sheltering the central living space and retractable garden wall from high winds and flying debris. Granholm announced the winners of the 2021 U.S. To design an 800-square foot house in Irvine that will use net-zero energy for a week in October is frankly not very difficult. The United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Find all the outdoor clothing and equipment you need at Mountain Warehouse, the UKs largest specialist outdoor retailer. Why not hold the contest in Minneapolis a month later? Perhaps because passive solar heating implies the need for thermal mass, which is contradictory to the need for the houses to be lightweight and transportable. This is the fundamental paradox of the Solar Decathlon.Īs I wrote in The Solar House, the Solar Decathlon has always been oriented to the promotion of PV systems, and it has always endured criticism for failing to reward passive strategies. The silos can then be moved to another location.But with the decision to return to Irvine, the organizers have raised the stakes by going all-in for solar electricity. The steel silos will be disassembled when the trees in the area have grown to provide their natural shelter from the sun. The solar panels on top of the silos provided the required electricity. Inside the silo was installed a vertical pipeline with little fans that enhanced the upward flow. As the air warms up it raises up the silo mainly by gravity. Even under very hot weather conditions the air is about five degrees cooler on the ground level of the silos than in their surroundings. On street level were play grounds and seats for people to sit around and enjoy the shade. ![]() Currently, if we do not receive materials, we will be delayed and it will be hard to finish. The silos were so large that birds had built their nests in them and the area was filled with delightful birdsong. Solar decathlon shelter 3 It will be completely off the grid and it is just over 800sf. ![]() Along the inside of the silo, starting from about three metres and up, shading twining plants had been planted along the insides of the silo walls. They stood on steel legs and their upper part was covered with a stainless steel net. In a new housing development where trees had been planted but were still very small, large (about 18 metres high, radius about 3-4 metres) steel structured “silos” had been placed in parks. 3-person sun Shelter beach Parasol UPF50+ Iwiko 180 - mint grey orange 22. A man-made sun shelter imitating natural conditions (photo below). ![]() ![]() In Mardrid I saw something else quite new and exceptional. The Aalto University placed fifth ( ), an excellent outcome for a first-time participant. The Finnish Aalto University participated in the competition with its experimental house called Luukku. Department of Energys Solar Decathlon 2015. team finland from the aalto university has finished the build of the ‘luukku house’ in madrid, spain as their official entry into the first european solar decathlon. I had an opportunity to familiarize myself with the Solar Decathlon ( ) academic competition on energy efficient experimental housing. From storm-resistant shelters to breezy dwellings that open like a flower, the solar-powered houses in the U.S. ![]()
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