Oct 15 2013
Team Austria from the Vienna University of Technology has won the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
The first-time U.S. competitor consistently wowed juries with its LISI house, after winning first place in the Communications Contest, tying for second place in Market Appeal, and tying for third place in Engineering. In measured contests, Team Austria received first place in both the Hot Water and Energy Balance contests.
University of Las Vegas Nevada took second place in the overall competition, and Czech Technical University received third place.
The winner of the Solar Decathlon is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
Results for the final juried contest, Engineering, were announced today prior to the overall competition winners. Team Ontario (Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College) placed first.
“Team Ontario revealed a complete understanding of building science, a very good building envelope for the target climate, and excellent integration of passive and active strategies,” said Engineering Contest juror Kent W. Peterson of P2S Engineering. “We believe this team best demonstrated design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”
Second place in Engineering went to Czech Technical University from the Czech Republic. Three teams shared third place: Team Austria from Vienna University of Technology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and University of Nevada Las Vegas
The Engineering Contest jurors evaluate each house’s energy-efficiency savings, creative design innovations, and the functionality and reliability of each system.
See the Solar Decathlon website for final scoring results.