Solar Decathlon Europe 2012

The competition

Solar Decathlon Europe is an international competition between universities from all over the World, with the purpose of advancing in the knowledge and dissemination of industrialized, solar and sustainable housing. The final phase of the competition will take place in June 2012 in Madrid. Here 20 homes from many other universities will be designed, built and shown to the public.

Undoubtedly, Solar Decathlon prestige to the participating universities, for them it suppose the integration and generation of knowledge about the conditions of sustainability in the construction in a environmentally conscious world. Selected universities work with multidisciplinary teams, directed by a faculty advisor, a project director and a contest captain. To promote the participation of the universities, the Housing ministry of Spain will support the teams with a financial aid of 100,000€.

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 offers to the students a great opportunity of knowledge, working from the theory to the practice in one of the best scenery of investigation. They will be challenged to use their wit and their capacity of innovation to design and build an auto-sustainable home. Also, they will have to consider the socio-economic facts to guarantee the viability of the project. 

Objetives

Solar Decathlon has four main purposes:

1. Educate
Educate to the public about the renewable energies, the energetic efficiency and new technologies to help to reduce the waste. Solar Decathlon is open to the public and it works like a live laboratory where the visitors can check these technologies.

2. Promote
Promote the dissemination of the solar technology in the market, building on students' interest in finding and developing energy efficiency technologies and energy production, all integrated into architecturally attractive housing.

3. Sensitize
Sensitize students participating on many benefits and possibilities of using renewable energy and efficient buildings, challenging them to think differently in the energy and how it affects our daily lives.

4. Demonstrate
To demonstrate that we can build houses, habitable and economic, without undermining the benefits of housing, or comfort.