Solar Decathlon’s Team Orange County attended the DOE workshop on January 9th and 10th. The workshop was a two day event in which the 17 teams, all with a mutual goal of sustainability and innovation, came together to learn more about each other, as well as participate in fun activities. On the first day, each team gave a presentation of their homes. Then, there was a dinner in which tables were assigned so that you were able to interact with different team members from all different areas. Lotus Thai, team leader of the Marketing and Fundraising of Team Orange County said, “It was interesting to learn each teams challenges. I was surprised when learning that many teams have to move here for a month during the actual competition.”

In addition to mingling with the diverse teams, the workshop also featured guest speakers including prominent community leaders such as Mayor Choy of Irvine, the Director of Solar Decathlon Richard King, and Councilwoman Christina Shea. It was even announced that each team would have the opportunity to present at a TedX conference. Team Orange County had a great time at the DOE workshop and learned a lot about the work each team and their supporting communities are putting into the competition.

When first thinking of the word ‘decathlon,’ sports, specifically the Olympic Decathlon where individuals compete in ten track & field events, was the first thing that came to mind. In the Solar Decathlon’s case however, we will not be hurdling over solar panels or using them in a discus throw (could we be on to something?).

No, no- as entertaining as that may seem, the Solar Decathlon’s home will be judged and measured in ten different areas:

• Architecture Contest (juried)
• Market Appeal Contest (juried)
• Engineering Contest (juried)
• Communications Contest (juried)
• Affordability Contest (juried)
• Comfort Zone Contest (measured)
• Appliances Contest (measured)
• Home Life Contest (measured)
• Commuting Contest (measured)
• Energy Balance Contest (measured)

As listed on the U.S. Solar Decathlon website, teams will earn points in three different ways:

• Task completion

Teams complete household tasks such as cooking, washing dishes, and doing laundry.

• Monitored performance

Team houses perform to specified criteria, such as maintaining a comfortable (71°–76°F) indoor temperature range.

• Jury evaluation

Jurors who are experts in their field (such as architecture, engineering, and communications) award points for features that cannot be measured (such as aesthetics and design inspiration).

Check out some of the contests here.

Team OC has been hard at work training in their specified areas of expertise. The miles gained from running from campus to campus and meetings easily put our odometer ahead of other teams. Let’s be real though- this is a competition where quality outweighs quantity. However, a few thousand extra supporters for our home team would look pretty impressive. So mark your calendars and come represent Team OC on October 5th at the Irvine Great Park.

Only six more months till the finish line approaches! See you all there.