Abstract :
This paper describes the US Department of Energy sponsored the Solar Decathlon 2007 which aims to challenge engineering students from around the globe to build an energy efficient, solar-powered home for less than $400,000. The competition requires each house to function more or less like any home in any developed nation, providing enough solar power to do the laundry, power a home office, cook dinner and leave the television turned on for at least six hours a day. Each house is judged across a range of specifications, from architecture and comfort to appliances included and overall energy balance, with a view to producing more energy than is consumed.
Keywords :
building integrated photovoltaics; design engineering; domestic appliances; energy management systems; energy storage; power consumption; power utilisation; solar power; Solar Decathlon 2007; US Department of Energy; energy efficient home; energy storage systems; engineering students; solar-powered home;
