D.C. Insurance Dept. Denies Birth Control Coverage Meddling
Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
Report: CCDC Split From UDC Is "Critical To Success"
D.C. United Icon Ben Olsen To Retire
Northeast Post Office Branch Spared From Closure List
A Cornell University team member surveys the landscaping in front of Silo House. Photo Credit: Angel Borrego Cubero/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
By DCist Contributor Lauren Evans
Almost overnight, the National Mall has been transformed from an expanse of sickly grass to a prim neighborhood. The houses therein have everything yours does - hot water, appliances, lights and climate control - with one major exception: an electricity bill.
The Solar Decathlon, a biennial competition sponsored by the Department of Energy, features designs by students from 20 universities in both the U.S and abroad, who come to D.C in hopes that theirs will prove the most functional solar powered house of them all.
As per its name, the Solar Decathlon’s judges will rank the houses in ten different categories, everything from architecture and engineering to market viability. Despite a long list of qualifications and restrictions, each of the houses looks remarkably distinct from its neighbors.
Team Germany, the reigning champions of the competition, erected what looks like a shiny black box, with the house’s whole façade covered in solar cells.
Others have gone for a more agrarian look: Cornell University created what appears to be a trio of aging silos enveloped by a lawn-like field of grains. But in terms of function, the “Silo House” is far from the similarly shaped structures that dot upstate New York: the building’s exterior is weather proofed with soy-based, closed-cell spray foam that gives it a much higher degree of insulation than that which is used in the typical home.
But what makes each house unique is not necessarily synonymous with what will make people want to actually live in it. Team Boston touts their house as being the most affordable, if not the most exciting to look at. Though Virginia Tech’s house boasts sliding shading and insulation panels, what might entice many observers is that operation of the house can be controlled entirely via iPhone, through an app developed by a student.
Though it may be a few years before your neighborhood comes to resemble the one currently resting on the Mall, many of the technologies implemented by the competitors are becoming more and more common in real-life homes. Since the competition began in 2002, many of the winners have gone on to begin their own green technology companies. With any luck, the houses you tour today may soon resemble one you someday live in.
The houses competing in the 2009 Solar Decathlon will be available for free tours Oct. 9-13 and 15-18, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with the awards ceremony tentatively scheduled for 8 a.m on Friday, October 16. Check out solardecathlon.org for more details.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Very cool.
I was just down there for the Opening Ceremony earlier today. Secretary Chu kicked it off on a most perfect day for discussing solar tech.
Chu's biggest point was that, although solar is cool, there are 1,000 little things you can do around your home to make it greener before you go slapping $30k worth of precious metals and volatile chemicals to your roof.
He's so dreamy.
Go Big Red!
Hand in glove, the Sun shines out of our behinds.
Get your houses off my lawn.
We have a permit for a kickball field. Those houses are on our field. Why don't you put these over at Gravelly Point?
Block off M Street and put them down the middle of the road there?
How about somewhere not blocking peoples actual and frequent use of what is supposed to be a National Park?
Oh god, well kickball, that's so important, I can't believe one of the many public exhibits that regularly are brought to the Mall (such as the Folklife Festival, the Book Fair, etc) is so inconsiderate as to interfere with your kickball game!
Awwwww...
Someone needs a nap. ;)
Let's go ahead and call kickball what it is...... Hipsters slightly past their expiration date, lining up fuck dates by pretending to play a sport.
Which is fine, but it's often coming at the expense of real sports team's ability to get permits for fields and facilities.
"Get your houses off my lawn.
We have a permit for a kickball field...
How about somewhere not blocking peoples actual and frequent use of what is supposed to be a National Park?"
Ever think your kickball game is blocking other people from enjoying the National Park? Last time I checked, the field isn't a designated ball field and the walking path isn't an outfield/warning track.
I'll never forget that day in 1963 when my kickball game on the Mall was interrupted by some minister talking about his dreams.
haha, previous post = win
that's one hell of an assumption, assuming that my neighborhood has appliances, climate control, or hot water!
You know what would be awesome? A solar powered robot to destroy the kickball douches, both on the field and clogging up happy hours citywide.