Solar Decathlon
Northeastern University Solar Decathlon is an interdisciplinary team working to design and construct sustainable buildings in and around Boston. Affiliated with the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon® Competition, we carry high standards to create net-zero solar buildings fit to serve the regional issues and housing stock needs of our surrounding communities.
Since 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy has hosted an annual collegiate competition that promotes sustainability, efficiency, and innovation in building design. The Solar Decathlon consists of two challenges: the Design Challenge, where students work to develop construction documentation that clearly depicts their novel ideas, and the Build Challenge, which allows students to see their designs come to fruition as they construct their project locally. Challenge submissions are evaluated based on their performance in ten distinct contests which can vary from year to year.
The Solar Decathlon competition is being introduced again to Northeastern University because of the breadth of the ten contests; since submission performance is dependent on a multitude of variables which can vary from architectural design and energy efficiency to financial viability and innovation, this club offers students the opportunity to gain experience working between disciplines to design an optimized project.
Open to both undergraduate and graduate students, the final goal of this club is to participate in the Solar Decathlon Competition Event that is hosted annually in Golden, Colorado. A group of students will get the opportunity to present the final design to a panel of industry leaders. The competition provides students the chance to showcase a holistic design as well as network with professionals in the industry.
Student Organization Advisor
mi.kane@northeastern.edu
Citizen-centric controls, infrastructure automation; community resilience; grid-interactive efficient buildings; sustainability
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Northeastern University Solar Decathlon Team Wins $50K in Contingent DOE Funding
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