The Energy Department's biannual design competition for solar-powered houses is returning in 2013, just not on the Potomac. Or anywhere around here, for that matter. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Howard University refuses to relegate homecoming to a single weekend’s football game. Instead, the historically black university boasts a multi-day bash that’s said to be unrivaled in the Mid-Atlantic. The 87th annual cultural celebration kicked off last week, and this morning is the university's spirited homecoming parade. The event kicked off at 9:30 am, so go grab a spot along Georgia Avenue near Banneker High School for a good view of the procession. more ›

The University of Maryland took the top prize at this year’s Solar Decathlon. The competition, which is put on by the U.S. Department of Energy, challenges college teams from around the world to design, build and operate solar-powered houses. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Happy October, and happy new fiscal year. A noticeable drop in temperature this weekend reminds us it’s not too long before we’ll witness a noticeable shift in hues. Some may mourn the loss of warmer days but nearly all of us can look forward to approaching shades of autumn. What the new fiscal year will bring is far less certain. more ›

When the organizers of the 2011 Solar Decathlon decided that they would pursue plans to move the event off the National Mall, there was hope that the event might still take place inside the District of Columbia. Such hopes, however, appear to have been extinguished: according to this report, organizers are close to signing a deal to move the efficient-housing showcase to National Harbor. more ›

Oh, our Managing Editor will not be pleased: a tipster points us to this Solar Novus Today report, which states that the 2011 Solar Decathalon -- the biennial U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored gathering of collegiate designers and engineers from around the world to show off brilliant, energy-efficient homes -- will not take place on the National Mall. Why? The event is apparently "impacting" the Mall's "long-term health." more ›

One of our favorite events on the National Mall is the biennial Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, where colleges from around the world compete to build the most energy efficient houses. We're in an in-between year, so let's turn to the European Solar Decathlon and congratulate Virginia Tech, announced yesterday as the first place winner for their entry, Lumenhaus. As the website notes, "Inspired in the Farnsworth house by Mies Van Der Rohe, Lumenhaus house presents an open distribution that connects the inhabitants of the house ... with the external environment." Virginia Tech finished a disappointing 13th in the 2009 U.S. Solar Decathlon, but as the student in this tour of the 2009 version of Lumenhaus notes, "The motto goes: One sun, 20 teams, we all win." more ›

By DCist Contributor Lauren Evans more ›

Many of you have already visited the "Solar Village" since it opened its gates last Friday on the National Mall. Last weekend the long lines literally wrapped around each house entered into the 2007 Solar Decathlon, with people eager to get a tour from the students, alumni and faculty from each university competitor. The ten competitions have been judged all week, from Architecture last week to Engineering today, with individual winners announced for each leg... more ›

When we saw this photo, we immediately thought of Legos — it looks like a bunch of bright yellow blocks and one of the window rectangles. We can almost imagine the little smiling yellow men lounging around inside, using one of those triangular computers or holding one of the cup pieces. Here's the EXIF data. more ›

Morning, Washington. We hope you were out enjoying the fantastic weather, especially since the environment has been front and center in the news this weekend. As you must have heard, our former Vice President turned Global Warming Guru had to shove over the Oscar on his mantle to make space for half of a Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe after the news you were inspired to go check out the 20 amazing houses built on the... more ›

We may write all the time about our developing neighborhoods, but one D.C. block is getting super-developed as we speak. Stroll down to the National Mall between today and October 20 and you'll find yourself in the middle of the Solar Village, where twenty universities have descended on the strip with their brilliant innovations costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, to compete in Solar Decathlon 2007. The entire event is open to the public with... more ›

Good morning, Washington. This house is the entry by the University of Maryland in the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon, the student competition we told you about last week. The houses are viewable on the National Mall until October 16th. Today will be cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain and highs in the 60s. more ›

Back in the day, Jimmy Carter matched his concern with global oil prices with solar panels perched upon the White House's roof. In today's world of ever-rising oil prices and expanding concerns over conservation, maybe President George W. Bush should head down to the Mall to get some ideas on how to best retrofit today's White House for what looks to be years of tight energy markets to come. It's the perfect time -- the... more ›