Press – Team Orange County 2015 | Casa del Sol

Four OC Schools in Great Park Solar Project

Camy Jun — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 22:14:04 +0000

Two universities and two community colleges in Orange County are working together on next year’s entry for the Solar Decathlon at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

Students from Chapman University, University of California-Irvine, Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College have formed “Team Orange County” to build the home, called Casa del Sol.

“It’s a first for [the schools] to come together as a team,” said Irvine Valley spokesperson Diane Oaks.

Student project a triumph for O.C.

Camy Jun — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 16:22:01 +0000

Alex McDonald’s road to graduate school started with a grant and a desire to build a solar-powered house.

The 30-year-old first approached UC Irvine with his idea for Casa Del Sol, a sustainable, drought-resistant home inspired by California’s state flower, the poppy, when he was volunteering for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon challenge in 2013. California poppies are considered drought-tolerant.

The idea blossomed over the next year as McDonald helped write the grant that would help fund the endeavor. Once the $50,000 grant was secured, McDonald started his graduate studies in mechanical engineering at UCI. The house will be his main graduate project, and he’ll be the project manager.

Chapman University joins in a sunny start for Solar Decathlon 2015

Camy Jun — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 16:08:11 +0000

When it comes to solar power, Southern California delivered the real deal in timely fashion Friday. A team of students and officials from Orange County colleges and universities gathered under sun-drenched skies to officially launch construction of a solar-powered house they will build for entry into the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2015.

Before an audience of local officials and troops of students dressed in bright t-shirts emblazoned with “Team Orange County,” President Jim Doti called the collaboration with Chapman University, UC Irvine, Irvine Valley College and Saddleback Community College an exceptional opportunity to help address global warming.

“This truly is an historic moment,” Doti said. “Climate change is real. It’s a challenge facing our generation and future generations and when we can bring a collaborative team like this together, great things can happen. And it could be the model for how we face other problems that face our community, our nation and our planet Earth. It is indeed a privilege for Chapman University to be a part of it.”

Team Orange County breaks ground on Solar Decathlon house

Camy Jun — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 16:01:37 +0000

Though there was only one woman among 10 speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the Solar Decathlon, Alexander McDonald made it clear who was really in charge.

“STEM is too important to leave to the men,” he said, paraphrasing the late University of Cambridge computer science professor Karen Spärck Jones. “It is the leadership of our women that is going to help us win this competition come 2015.”

As project manager of Team Orange County and a mechanical engineering graduate student at UC Irvine, McDonald recognized 10 women integral to the project, including architect Lindsey Engels of LPA, Inc.; Julie Yang of Carrier Johnson Architects; Jennifer Manfre, Edison International’s senior communications adviser; and advisers from the four participating colleges.

Local colleges attempt to build the house of tomorrow

Camy Jun — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:54:31 +0000

Forty Chapman students came a step closer to the next phase of the 2015 Solar Decathlon competition after a groundbreaking ceremony at Irvine Valley College Oct. 24.

The biennial competition challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive.

Team Orange County, which consists of Chapman, University of California, Irvine (UCI), Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College students, has around 100 members total. Nineteen other teams from across the country are participating in the decathlon.

Team Orange County “Breaks” Ground for Casa del Sol

Camy Jun — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:48:41 +0000

The sun smiled brightly on students, faculty, administrators, elected officials and industry supporters as they ceremoniously “broke” ground for the house named in its honor. Casa del Sol is the solar-powered house being designed by Team Orange County for entry in the 2015 U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The international competition will be held next October at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

Team OC is a collaborative venture among UC Irvine, Chapman University, Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College (IVC). The four academic institutions’ leaders were on hand as well as Irvine Mayor Steven Choi, Irvine Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Lalloway, CEO and President of FivePoint Communities Emile Haddad and Southern California Edison President Pedro Pizarro. Christina Shea, Irvine councilwoman and chair of the Orange County Great Park Board of Directors, served as master of ceremonies for the ground breaking event at IVC.

Striving for sustainability in Solar Decathlon

Camy Jun — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 23:15:46 +0000

As the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon approaches, Team Orange County is preparing to move the house it built, called Casa del Sol, from Irvine Valley College to Irvine Great Park for the competition.

“Imagine taking apart your home,” said Fred Smoller, an associate professor of political science at Chapman and a leader of the team. “Those pipes have to be cut and re-saldered together and all the wiring has to be put back in and into each of the lightsockets. It’s absolutely enormous. It’s beyond anything you can imagine.”

How the Solar Decathlon Provides an Innovative Education

Camy Jun — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 23:11:23 +0000

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” To do this, educators, public agencies and citizens need to determine innovative methods to help tackle global problems. One groundbreaking approach is through the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which takes place October 8-18 at the Orange Country Great Park in Irvine, Calif.

The state of our climate crisis is frightening. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which the United Nations established to provide an accurate scientific view on developments in climate change and its impacts, “warming in the climate system is unequivocal,” “human influence on the climate system is clear,” and “limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.” Drastic and urgent action is needed to implement energy efficiency and clean technology solutions.

Future of housing? Solar Decathlon kicks off Thursday in Irvine with new takes on sustainable living

Camy Jun — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 21:24:50 +0000

As sea levels rise and natural disasters devastate towns, collegiate teams across the nation are focusing on sustainability and safety as they design the home of the future.

The Great Park’s festival area, the site of this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, is showcasing 14 houses designed with resilience and thoughtful living in mind.

What will the houses of the future look like? The prototypes at the Solar Decathlon competition site can be a guide.

2015 Solar Decathlon Landscapes

Camy Jun — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 21:19:35 +0000

Life in LA is thrilled to welcome Teena Spindler as our ‘resident’ gardener! Teena is a Southern California Master Gardener, garden writer and speaker. She appears in a variety of gardening videos, and is one of the hosts on ‘In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners’ on KUCI 88.9FM radio. Her blog, www.thymetogrow.com, features gardening tips, trips, and projects for Southern California gardeners.

Imagine strolling the streets of a neighborhood where every home is powered by the sun, cooled by nature’s breezes, and grows food in vertical gardens using captured water. Such a neighborhood will exist for two short weeks this month at the Great Park in Irvine, California, home to the 2015 Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that challenges collegiate teams to build solar-powered houses that are energy efficient, affordable, and attractive.