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Source: ONE News -
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Team Germany won this year's US solar home competition by
skinning a single-roomed cube almost entirely with shiny black
solar panels.
The 20 appliance-filled homes built by universities in the Solar
Decathlon contest run by the US Department of Energy were designed
to produce more power than they could use on sunny days.
The homes, which formed a temporary solar village on the National
Mall, were judged by 10 criteria including market viability,
comfort, and how well they captured the sun's energy to power
refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers.
Team Germany, which consisted of 24 mostly architecture students
from the technology university in Darmstadt, won by centering on
the most important factor: maximizing power production.
"We won because we produced a lot of energy," said Sardika Meyer, a
member of team Germany.
A laser like focus on maximizing power that could be sold back to
the electricity grid helped Germany win the contest which is held
every two years, agreed Daniel Poneman, the deputy US energy
secretary.
Darmstadt also won in 2007.
The German team built this year's cube, which featured separate
living zones including a loft, to the maximum dimensions allowable
and completely covered it in solar panels - 250 thin film copper
gallium diselenide panels on the sides - and 40 silicon ones on the
roof.
Cornell University's team, which by contrast built a home of
rust-coloured steel silos that only featured solar panels on the
roof, dubbed the German home the big black monolith.
The DOE holds the contest to find ways to reduce the cost of
solar-powered homes.
The teams are sponsored by companies.
Germany has led the world in overall solar power production for
years.
The United States, aided by a far sunnier climate especially in
the Southwest, could overtake Germany this year, analysts
say.
Meyer said many of the materials used in her team's home could be
used by the general public.
But owners of such a home in a real community would likely have to
fix panels more securely than the Darmstadt home did as black
markets have developed on stolen panels in California and other
places.
Next June Europe will hold its first solar decathlon in Madrid.
"We're looking forward to that one," said Meyer. "It's about time Europe had its own."
