Start of Solar Decathlon ’09 in Washington DC
The solar capacity of the National Mall in Washington D.C. has increased by a very huge margin in just a week as teams of college students from 20 international schools are gearing up for the fourth ever Solar Decathlon, a competition in which students must create “the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.” The three-week event started yesterday with an opening ceremony that featured a speech from Energy Secretary Steven Chu. He declared an $87 million solar-targeted award for solar energy projects. “Decathletes,” as the participants are called, began construction on October 1, 2009, exactly a week before the start of the competition. Each house was designed to be deconstructed and then reassembled for the event. The components of each house travel from each team’s school and are reconstituted as the solar-powered homes lining on the National Mall.