Jun 29 2010
A team of students from the University of Rosenheim, located in Germany has secured the second place at the 2010 Solar Decathlon Europe, utilizing the high-performance solar panels of SunPower Corp. for powering the home they constructed for this contest.
The university received top awards in the Energy Balance contest. Solar panels of SunPower were utilized by the first-placed teams in the previous three Solar Decathlon contests conducted in the U.S.
The Spanish Ministry of Housing organizes the Solar Decathlon Europe, developed similar to the Solar Decathlon, which is conducted in Washington, D.C. once in two years by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Decathlon of this year hosted 17 teams participating from three continents, encouraging students to design, develop and operate solar-operated houses which are energy-efficient, attractive and cost-effective. Six out of the 17 teams utilized the solar panels of SunPower.
Many of the teams utilizing the solar panels of SunPower secured first place in different categories. For instance, in the category of Sustainability, the University of Paris Arts et Metiers received first place using the 96-cell, SunPower 315 Solar Panel. In the Industrialization and Viability category, University of CEU Cardenal Herrera of Spain won the top prize utilizing the SunPower 225 Solar Panel. In the category of Communication and Social Awareness, the University of Florida took the first place utilizing the SunPower 230 Solar Panel.