The University of Maryland placed second Friday in the Solar Decathlon contest on the National Mall yesterday, building an energy-efficient house featuring an indoor waterfall and an ability to evaporate excess water.
The team from Technische Universit„t Darmstadt in Germany won the 20-team, weeklong competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and several private companies. Santa Clara University, in California, placed third.
“It’s all about proving the technology to the public,” said Nirmal Mehta, an engineering team leader at the University of Maryland. Mehta, a fifth-year electrical engineering undergraduate student, hopes to start a career focused on the business and investment side of energy efficiency.
The teams built fully operational solar-powered houses, showing off the latest technology and innovative designs promoting energy efficiency.
The University of Maryland’s house had an indoor waterfall with liquid desiccant, which absorbs moisture to control the humidity and evaporates excess water.
The teams were judged on 10 categories, ranging from the quality of architecture, engineering, energy balance, hot water, lighting, temperature control and appliances, to communications and market viability.
They also had to use excess energy to power an electric vehicle.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who announced the winners, praised the teams for their “spirit of inventiveness” and “innovation and knowledge” to “solve real-world problems.”
Students who “have this much passion and energy … will end up in leadership positions. … They’re willing to live their passions – that’s the big impact,” said Solar Decathlon spokesman George Douglas.
The houses will be on display through Saturday. While the total number of visitors has not been tallied, an estimated 100,000 people toured the houses last weekend, Douglas said.
The contest is held every two years. Twenty schools are chosen and given $100,000 to design and build an 800-square-foot house.
Mr. Bodman said this year’s competition was the most diverse, with teams from Canada, Spain and Puerto Rico participating.
