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May 12, 2005
Contact: Sandra Stannard
Cal Poly Wins Spot in Solar Decathlon 2005 SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Cal Poly will represent California in the 2005 Solar Decathlon held this October in Washington D.C. The Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, will challenge 18 college teams from around the globe in 10 contests to design, build, and operate the most livable, energy-efficient completely solar-powered house. The solar houses must power all the home energy needs of a typical family using only the power of the sun. The students' solar houses and educational exhibits will form a "solar village," on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., open to the public October 7-16. Visitors to the solar village can learn how to energize a modern lifestyle - where we work hard, move fast, and demand convenience and comfort - while using energy only from the sun as efficiently as possible. Cal Poly's solar house design emerged out of design studios and a design contest inspired by the possibility for the university to participate in Solar Decathlon 2005. The team's goal is to create a beautifully concise home tuned to the climate, detailed for modern living, and proportionately sized to travel across the country pulled by a single truck. The aim is to reduce the household's footprint on the land and make the most effective use of space and resources. Simple. Fundamental. Elegant.
The United States uses about 97 quadrillion British Thermal Units (quads) of energy each year. The residential building sector accounts for about 21% (20.1 quads) of that use. About 86% of total annual energy use in the United States comes from burning fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas. There are many simple ways to save energy, and many relatively simple ways to generate energy from renewable sources, such as the sun. Solar energy technologies are clean and significantly reduce pollutant emissions versus other options. And solar energy is renewable, so we can count on that energy source as long as the sun shines. The Solar Decathletes learn quickly that energy is a precious commodity. The competition places demands on their buildings' energy systems to maintain the house within a certain temperature range, to provide lighting and run appliances, to charge an electric car, and much more. The teams will generate that energy with photovoltaic systems to directly produce electricity and with solar thermal systems for space heating and cooling, and water heating.
How were the competitors selected?
The 10 contests range from architecture and livability and comfort to how well the solar homes perform in providing energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, and to power lighting and appliances. The solar houses must also provide energy for electric cars.
Cal Poly's selection to participate in the Solar Decathlon led to the formation of a student club - the Renewable Energy Club (REC) - a multidisciplinary student organization. The group's mission is the advancement and promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency for a more environmentally sustainable future. REC, open to all students at Cal Poly, sponsors several ongoing events including presentations from invited experts on renewable energy, and bi-monthly community outreach at the Thursday night Farmer's Market in downtown San Luis Obispo. Currently focused on preparing the solar home, REC's broader focus will live on after the Solar Decathlon competition is over. Solar Cal Poly is truly a multidisciplinary project already involving support from faculty of both the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the College of Engineering. R. Thomas Jones, dean, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, stated, "Taking on this amazing challenge to design and build a solar residence clearly demonstrates the talent, creativity and the learn by doing philosophy of students at Cal Poly. We are so very proud of the students and faculty team members who began nearly two years on the behind-the-scenes preparation required to win a spot in the Solar Decathlon." On Thursday, May 12, 3-5pm, Solar Cal Poly will unveil the model and drawings for the team's solar home. Billed as a press conference and "kickoff celebration," students will present various aspects of their solar home design. Selected team leaders will talk about the achievements and challenges in preparing for the competition, and their specific responsibilities with the project. State Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee is a guest speaker. Solar Cal Poly team leaders include Project Manager Jon Gambil, architecture major, Operations Manager Lissette Araya, Master of Architecture major, and faculty leaders Rob Peņa and Sandra Stannard, Architecture; and Jesse Maddren, Mechanical Engineering. There are more than 19 students on the team working side-by-side with faculty and building professionals from the community. Gambil said, "This project is a real test of our education we have gained in our respective majors. Most definitely everyone involved will gain practical skills and knowledge that will serve us well in our future careers." The first Solar Decathlon, held in 2002, attracted more than 100,000 people in 11 days to the Solar Village on the National Mall. Media coverage resulted in hundreds of stories in newspapers and on television and radio including The New York Times, The Washington Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angels Time, Today on NBC, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press network. The Solar Decathlon Web site had over 2,700,000 hits, with an average of 394,000 hits each day. |