The CU Boulder team is presented with their trophy during the virtual awards ceremony.听
The 乐播传媒 Boulder won first place in the 2021 , the third time CU Boulder has placed first in the highly competitive event.听
The results were announced Sunday by Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, who commended the winning team for designing a home that addresses the challenge of affordable housing in mountain communities.听
鈥淚t combines strong architecture and thoughtful market potential and innovative technologies. It showcased energy efficient performance in its high-altitude cold climate,鈥� said Secretary Granholm.听
From April 15-18, the CU Boulder team competed in this biennial collegiate competition against nine other teams from the U.S., as well as from the Netherlands, Chile and Canada. Originally planned to take place in-person on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. last June, this year鈥檚 event was held virtually using real estate tour-like technology.
We are thrilled for CU Boulder! All the students, faculty and advisers involved in the Solar Decathlon competition put in an extraordinary effort, and we are grateful to have been part of the team. Most exciting of all is being able to demonstrate that even in the coldest town in the US, sustainable, all-electric homes are ready for prime time. It is a joy to be part of the necessary and exciting energy transition our country is undergoing, and we look forward to seeing many more all-electric net zero homes in the future." - SPARC homeowners Kristen Taddonio and Joe Smyth
(Sustainability, Performance, Attainability, Resilience and Community), was designed and built to address the housing attainability crisis and construction challenges faced by mountain towns across the country. With its state-of-the-art-energy efficiency systems, the SPARC house is already selling energy back to the local power grid鈥攁ll while temperatures still drop below freezing at night and the new homeowners use it to charge their electric car. In addition to significantly reduced utility costs and modest footprint, it also features an attached rental unit that听 further addresses housing affordability and attainability in mountain towns.听
鈥淲e held on to this belief the entire way along that we鈥檙e solving a real issue and we have a great solution to it. And it just is amazing to see that other people believe in that as much as we do,鈥� said Hannah Blake, one of the team鈥檚 student co-founders and project leads. 鈥淲e are loving this response. We can鈥檛 wait to see what is next.鈥�
A team of Buffs hasn鈥檛 competed in the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge since 2007, but this win adds to CU Boulder鈥檚 first place finishes in the inaugural 2002 event and again in 2005. In addition to the overall first place win, within the build challenge, including innovation, market potential and architecture, tied for second in the Energy Performance contest, and placed second in the contests for engineering, operations, and financial feasibility and affordability.听
It鈥檚 the result of three years of work鈥攖hrough everything from extreme heat and wildfires to construction complications due to COVID-19鈥攁nd the final product is a stunning achievement.听
It鈥檚 been a monumental effort, with more than 30 students and faculty collaborating across campus since 2017 to create a house completely from scratch for competition this week. From sophomores to PhDs, students involved have been based in architectural engineering, Engineering Plus, environmental design, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, business, and anthropology. The project has spanned many team members鈥� graduations, with recent alumni involved now spread across the country, applying their hands-on experience directly to their careers.听
鈥淚f you鈥檝e ever been a part of the CU Boulder team, whether you鈥檙e actively involved now or not, you matter to this team, and you helped us get to where we are,鈥� said Gabriella Abello, student team co-founder and project lead.听
The CU Boulder Solar Decathlon team was generously supported by a large group of , donations and the U.S. Department of Energy.听