Of those 10 contests, Team Germany's surplus power production earned the Net Metering award, which carried the greatest weight at 150 points. They also won the Comfort Zone contest for 100 points by best maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity in the home.
Coming in second place overall, the University of Illinois took top honors in the Appliances contest, which involved running a refrigerator and freezer, dishwasher, washer, and dryer; the Hot Water contest, which required producing enough hot water for regular showers; and the Home Entertainment contest, which involved not only running a television, computer, lights, and a cooking appliance, but also hosting two dinner parties and a movie night, which were rated by their fellow contestants.
And although the team didn't place in the top three, the University of Minnesota claimed the top spot in two juried design contests: Lighting Design and Engineering. The Engineering award honors the solar home that best exemplified excellence in energy systems design, savings, innovations, and reliability.
Although the 2009 Solar Decathlon just ended, the application process for the next Solar Decathlon, to be held in fall 2011, has already begun. The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2011 Solar Decathlon is available on the Solar Decathlon Web site. Applications are due by November 17, and selected teams will be notified by December 18. See the DOE press release, the Solar Decathlon Web site, and the RFP (PDF 747 KB).
DOE to Invest $24 Million in 3 Wind Research Facilities
DOE announced on October 15 its selection of three university-led wind energy research facilities to receive $24 million in ARRA funds over the next two years. Located in Illinois, Maine, and Minnesota, they were selected competitively to conduct R&D on utility-scale and prototype wind turbines, with the goal of improving the performance and reliability of both land-based and offshore wind turbines. The funds will also enable them to provide educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in wind technologies and wind jobs.
Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology will receive up to $8 million to install a test turbine at an existing wind farm in rural Illinois. The 1.5 MW GE wind turbine will be used to study advanced concepts for wind turbine control, robust sensors for blades, and innovative models to improve wind turbine performance and reliability. The University of Minnesota will take a similar approach, drawing on up to $8 million to install a 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbine, which will be used to investigate novel systems for mechanical power transmission and electric power generation. The turbine will be close to an existing wind farm, allowing the university to study how it interacts with the wake caused by nearby turbines.
The University of Maine will investigate offshore wind, receiving up to $8 million to design and deploy two 10 kW wind turbine prototypes and one 100 kW prototype to be mounted on floating offshore platforms. The university's plan includes optimizing the designs for floating platforms by evaluating durable, lighter, hybrid composite materials, while also determining the requirements and logistics for manufacturing and deploying the platforms. See the DOE press release and DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program.
