Denver To Host Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon Competition
DENVER (CBS4) - The U.S. Department of Energy has announced Denver as the next location for their biennial Solar Decathlon Competition.
The Mile High City won the bid to host the event where college students compete to design, build, and operate affordable solar powered houses.
Over the next 18 months, 16 teams will raise funds, design and build their 800-square foot and 100% solar-powered houses, then transport to Denver.
Teams from across the country and the world will compete in 10 contests and, for the first time, a $2 million prize. Each team that brings an eligible house to the competition will receive prize money of at least $100,00 to help cover construction and transportation costs.
The competition will take place in fall of 2017, and is planned near a new sustainable development close to Denver International Airport's new rail station.
The 16 college and university teams include eight returning and eight new:
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Lausanne, Switzerland)
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College (Daytona Beach, Florida)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia)
- HU University of Applied Science Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands)
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Missouri)
- Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)
- Rice University (Houston, Texas)
- Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama)
- University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
- University of California, Davis (Davis, California)
- University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Washington State University (Pullman, Washington)
- Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri)
- West Virginia University (Morgantown, West Virginia)