Solar Decathlon

Homes Powered by the Sun

Explore How the Sun Can Power Your World

The Solar Decathlon is back on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. October 9-13 & 15-18, 2009.

And with it, a great opportunity for your students to learn more about solar power and energy efficiency.

Tuesday, October 13, will mark the first-ever National Solar Education Day, when up to 2,000 local middle-school students will visit the Solar Decathlon. Also on that day, the winning experiment - submitted by a middle school team of students - of the first National Solar Education Competition will be demonstrated on the Mall.

Students also can watch student reporters' broadcasts during the Solar Decathlon:

VIDEO: Solar Decathlon – An Overview
Learn the history and importance of the Solar Decathlon and hear interviews with key people. Watch the 2009 houses being built in time lapse.

VIDEO: Opening Ceremony
See highlights of the Opening Ceremony and hear Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu. Watch interviews with some of the 2009 Decathletes.

VIDEO: House Tours
Visit some of the houses from the United States competing in the 2009 Solar Decathlon and meet Decathletes.

VIDEO: International House Tours
See the houses that other countries have brought to the Solar Decathlon and meet their Decathletes.

VIDEO: Solar Education Day
Join the Student Broadcasters and middle school students from the DC area as they participate in the first-ever, Solar Education Day.

VIDEO: And the Winner Is . .
Find out who won the Solar Decathlon grand prize and why. Learn about the 2009 international competition in Madrid.

What Is the Solar Decathlon?

Twenty college and university teams have created and built energy efficient solar-powered homes that will be reconstructed on the Mall. As part of the Decathlon, judges will use ten measures to evaluate each house, including comfort, market viability, and “net metering” (excess energy contributed to the grid).

The Decathlon is an international competition that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Mall every two years. This year, NEA is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR® to bring teachers and students a range of educational opportunities for exploring how the sun can power their world. NEA is involving teachers and students in the Solar Decathlon in three ways, and the most exciting is that you and your students will be able to follow the Decathlon as student reporters bring the competition to you.

What Is the National Solar Education Competition?
Public school teachers, with teams of up to 10 students, were invited to submit their solar experiments. The winning team will be announced on YouTube and their experiment will be conducted on the National Mall during the Decathlon. Each student on the winning team (up to 10) will receive an IPod. Their teacher will receive an ENERGY STAR-qualified compact refrigerator and a microwave for either classroom or teacher lounge use.
The NEA & ENERGY STAR Solar Decathlon Student Broadcast
Starting on October 7, teachers and classes can watch student hosted and NEA produced broadcasts highlighting the Decathlon and energy efficiency. Eleven middle-school student reporters will interview competitors, energy experts, government officials, and others in six programs posted over the duration of the Solar Decathlon. Your students will learn about energy efficiency and the power of the sun from other students and they’ll hear about the academic paths the Student Decathletes took to prepare them for the competition. “Sunny the Solar Panel” will provide a weather report and tell how that will affect the competition. As a result, your students may consider new academic and career paths they’d never before considered.
Solar Education Day – October 13, 2009
Students and teachers from middle schools in the greater Washington D.C. area will be invited to the National Mall for energy efficiency education workshops, as well as VIP tours of the competing homes. (Other schools are welcome to tour on other days.)

Find curricular activities related to the Solar Decathlon and solar energy.

Learn more about the National Solar Education Competition.

Visit the U.S. Department of Energy Web site to learn more about the 2009 Solar Decathlon.

Support for this project is provided by Danby, Electrolux, Nationwide Marketing Group, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Dell, and Duke Energy.