U of M Solar Decathlon team to hold first viewings of house for media, public Sept. 16

Open viewings Sept. 16-18 will be only opportunity for public to see solar home before October competition

Contacts: Ryan Maus, University News Service, (612) 624-1690,maus@umn.edu
Ryan Mathre, University News Service, (612) 625-0552,mathre@umn.edu

With the start of the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition less than three weeks away, the University of Minnesota’s first-ever entry into the contest has finally taken shape. The U of M solar house team has finished its initial assembly of the full-featured, completely solar-powered house and will hold its first public viewing from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 on the U of M's St. Paul campus on the north side of Buford Place just east of Gortner Ave.

Members of the media will have the opportunity to visit the house during Wednesday's initial viewing hours and discuss the inner workings of the U of M's solar house with student and faculty project leaders.

The house also will be open for public tours from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 18. Visitors are encouraged to park in the Gortner Avenue Ramp (1395 Gortner Ave., St. Paul),follow the signs past Buford Ave. and turn right on Buford Place to reach the site.

“These public tours give the U of M community and the public a chance to see the solar house in completed form before competition,” said Ann Johnson, team project manager and faculty member in civil engineering. "We can't wait to show off the results of our many months of hard work and preparation."

This state-of-the-art, fully functional 800-square-foot home, powered solely by the sun, was built to be broken down into several pieces and re-constructed on site.  Following the end of the team's simulation on the St. Paul campus, the house will be disassembled to be transported to Washington, D.C., where it will be re-constructed (beginning Oct. 1) for entry into the bi-annual international Department of Energy competition that will begin on the National Mall Oct. 9.

For more information on the U of M's Solar Decathlon project, visit solardecathlon.umn.edu.

The Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon runs Oct. 9 through Oct. 18 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and features 20 teams of college and university students competing in 10 different contests (giving the Decathlon its name) to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered house.