German Technische Universitat Darmstadt Wins DOE's 2007 Solar Decathlon

November 01, 2007

Germany's Technische Universitat Darmstadt has earned top honors in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Over the past two weeks, the 2007 Solar Decathlon challenged twenty university-led teams from the U.S. and as far away as Puerto Rico, Spain, Germany, and Canada to design, build and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Students competed in ten areas, ranging from architecture, livability and comfort to how well the homes provided energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, lighting, and appliances. Technische Universitat Darmstadt earned 888.45 points out of a possible 1,200 to win the competition, followed by University of Maryland with 872.45 points and Santa Clara University with 860.80 points.