Stanford engineering students are constructing a solar house that could ultimately serve as a model for the sustainable home building industry. Called Start.Home, the dwelling is said to be based on a revolutionary design that integrates most of the infrastructure required for a home in a centralised utility unit.
It will be unveiled at a solar home competition next fall in Southern California.
Part of Stanford’s Solar Decathlon, it pits top university teams against each other in the creation of game-changing solar houses – structures that could redefine the way solar energy is embedded into daily living.
A lot is at stake both for the Stanford students and, apparently, the world. Sponsored by the US Department of Energy and held biennially since 2002, the Solar Decathlon is considered a de facto “skunk works” for the development of practical solar technology.
So far, 112 teams and 17,000 students have participated in the Decathlon, and the event has been expanded to three global competitions, convened respectively in Europe, China and the United States.
The 2013 competition will feature custom solar homes from 20 collegiate teams from four countries. It will be held 3-13 October 2013 at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif.
The Stanford house isn’t relying solely on photovoltaic panels for energy savings. It first uses passive systems – natural ventilation and natural daylight through high north-side windows that minimize high temperatures due to direct sunlight.
Nor will Stanford’s design incorporate any storage systems – that is, batteries. Instead, the home should be viewed as a microgrid component: it would feed excess energy into the established, centralized electrical grid.
Such contributions would be credited to the household, and the home would draw power on those days – rare, it’s hoped – when extra juice is needed.
The judges will monitor the performance of the house throughout the competition. That includes evaluating its livability. To demonstrate this quality, the team must perform common household functions in the home during the Decathlon.
In addition to a movie night, the team is required to host a dinner party in the house
More information: www.solardecathlon.stanford.edu