Back in the eighties, I lived in a two hundred year-old house in Old Town, Alexandria. Gadsby’s Tavern “serving fine food since 1770” was one block away. There, aside from me, notable visitors included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison and James Monroe. The house I lived in was poorly insulated and both summers and winters were uncomfortable. I remember being huddled under a very thick down comforter with our two wire-haired fox terriers one winter night when the furnace gave out. It was bitter cold and a collective 100+ teeth chattered in unison. Needless to say, our heating bill was astronomical.

Contrast that with the solar energy houses built just six miles across the Potomac River on the National Mall this past week as part of the annual Solar Decathlon. During this event, teams from colleges and universities around the globe come together in a "solar village" and compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home.

Staged by the Department of Energy, The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.  The event takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12 - 20. An overall winner is announced on Friday, October 19 at 2 p.m.  Teams of college students design a solar house, knowing from the outset that it must be powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch every last watt of electricity that's generated by the solar panels on their roofs, the students absorb the lesson that energy is a precious commodity. They strive to innovate, using high-tech materials and design elements in ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn how to raise funds and communicate about team activities. They collect supplies and talk to contractors. They build their solar houses, learning as they go.

The 20 teams transport their solar houses to the competition site on the National Mall and virtually rebuild them in the solar village. Teams assemble their houses, and then the active phase of the Solar Decathlon begins with an opening ceremony for students, media, and invited guests. The teams compete in contests, and even though this part of the Solar Decathlon gets the most attention, the students really win the competition through the many months of fund raising, planning, designing, analyzing, redesigning, and finally building and improving their homes. 

You can experience the event online and get video tours of all the houses. There are two blogs as well:  the official DOE blog and an excellent one kept up by BP at http://www.bpsolardecathlon.com/.  BP is a major sponsor of this event and their blog has useful links and information on solar energy and alternative energy in general.