In 2007, Team Germany’s entry in the Solar Decathlon stole the show: fancy retractable floors, house-covering louvred panels that could be closed or open at a light touch to control air and light flow and just happened to be covered with thousands of tiny solar cells, a sleek but somehow organic design. And they’ve done it again. For the second Decathlon in a row, Germany is going home with the gold.
The team from Technische Universitat in Darmstadt created a h0me with another funky exterior. Silicon solar panels on the roof and CIGS panels on the walls produce a whopping 200 percent of the electricity consumed by this energy efficient home.
Germany's Solar Decathlon winner, covered in solar panels
Another unusual element to this house is the fact that it’s two stories: most entrants in this contest stick to one level, as the interior area is limited to 800 square feet to keep the contest equitable across the board.
Germany beat out domestic contender California, who was leading the pack for the first couple days of judging. Well, Americans: better luck next time! The Decathlon runs on a tw0-year cycle, and we’ll keep you posted throughout the team proposal and selection process right up through our next trip to the Mall in Washington to see these amazing student-designed and built homes compete.
We love the creativity, skill, and dedicated to efficiency and renewable energy on display during the Decathlon. Thank you and congratulations to all the contenders.
That is a fantastic contest concept. very interesting to read about. Solar Panels can create wonders when they capture huge amounts of solar energy to run almost any and every electrical appliance in a house, and these facts can be put forward before the common people through such ideas and contests.