For those of you near the nation’s capital, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathalon deserves a visit. The biennial event — which this year runs through October 18 — challenges 20 college teams from around the world to design, build and operate the best solar-powered house.

The Solar Decathalon runs through October 18th

The teams’ work is judged on the basis of ten categories, including architecture/design, market viability and overall comfort (see Connie’s previous post, below, for full details). New this year is a category for net metering, which, according to the event’s website, works roughly as follows: “Each house is equipped with a utility meter that enables competition organizers to measure how much net energy the house produces or consumes over the course of the competition. Teams score points for producing as much or more energy than they consume.”

One of 20 entries at the Solar Decathalon

As of this afternoon, the California Team was leading the pack. Final standings will be determined tomorrow, Wednesday, and announced on Friday. Visitors are welcome to tour the houses (except Wednesday) between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays, and between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the weekend. There are also great interactive displays and other educational resources on offer.

Visitors learn about solar PV and net metering at the Solar Decathalon

Stay tuned for more coverage of this week’s events.