The Solar Decathlon, a biennial contest in which 20 teams of college students build houses that produce as much energy as they consume, was in the ironic position of homelessness in January 2011: The competition had lost its spot on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The news broke during the International Builders' Show, where teams had met to show off models of their projects. The students were bummed. So they got organized and lobbied Congress, and Team California's Elisabeth Neigert (left) pleaded their case in The Huffington Post. In the end, the students won. The competition, organized by the Department of Energy, will be held on the Mall Sept. 23 to Oct. 2. During that time, the public can tour the homes and see students testing brilliant ideas—like these 22—in real-world conditions, one watt at a time.
The appeal of the Solar Decathlon? "These are homes you can actually walk through, with systems you can see," Team California project manager Elisabeth Neigert says, standing in the partially built CHIP house on the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) campus. "We come together from all over the world to tackle the problems of tomorrow's housing—to show what's possible today."
CalTech and SCI-Arc's CHIP (Compact House, Infinite Possibilities) combines engineering and architecture to challenge conventional building practices with concepts like these:
SOLAR PANEL CLAMPS
Rather than penetrating a rooftop with a racking system (which can void roofing warranties and lead to leaks), students combined panel-mounting IronRidge rails with a homemade clamp-and-pipe system that can pinch the panels into place while the vinyl roof membrane remains unbroken.
POWER FOR EV PARKING
Planning for a vehicle isn't a competition requirement. But Team California figured out how to use CHIP's cantilevered upper floor to create an electric-vehicle carport under the bedroom. Beefy 10-gauge wiring connects an exterior outlet to a 20-amp breaker, using the 8.0-kw photovoltaic (PV) system to charge an EV.
When asked to name the single best piece of CHIP's HVAC equipment, CalTech student Fei Yang rattled off a model number: Mitsubishi MXZ-2B20NA-1. This air conditioner takes infrared measurements of the house, then automated louvers blow cool air to hot areas.
CONTROLS VIA KINECT
A CalTech modification makes Microsoft's Kinect system for the Xbox 360 function like a next-gen Clapper. The system, described by designer Cole Hershkowitz as a "gesture- and location-based home-control interface," senses specific body motions to turn on lights, fire up the stereo or switch on the TV.
The team used vinyl-coated polyester, which could be recycled from billboards, as impervious siding. The white cladding also wraps the roof.