One of the coolest government sponsored programs on earth is the Solar Decathlon, created by and sponsored by US Department of Energy. Universities from around the world compete in the event with student teams designing and building zero net energy, sustainable homes for the future.
The event is so popular (and so cool) that this year Europe organized a Solar Decathlon - Europe.
Links to US and European events below. Here are the main goals.
- To educate the general public on renewable energy, energy efficiency and the technologies available to help them reduce their energy consumption.
- To encourage the use of solar technologies and to distribute them more quickly to the market
- To raise awareness of the students participating in the competition of the various benefits and possibilities of using renewable energies and energy efficient construction, challenging them to think creatively about energy and how it affects our everyday lives.
- To clearly demonstrate that solar houses can be built without sacrificing energy efficiency or comfort, and that they can be both attractive and affordable.
continued at Daily Kos....
