Appalachian State: People's Choice Award for 2011...
The Tidal Basin in Washington, DC is perhaps best known for the cherry blossoms that attract many visitors in the spring. But during the past few weeks, the park has served as the staging ground for the 2011 Solar Decathalon.
A project of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Solar Decathalon consists of various collegiate teams from around the world that compete to construct realistic, marketable houses with a twist - they need to be powered by solar energy.
In addition to an overall winner based on various categories from architecture to affordability to home entertainment - this year, the University of Maryland - visitors have a chance to vote on their favorite entry.
I had a chance to meet with this year's People's Choice Award winner, Appalachian State University. Video cameras captured live interviews all around us as I sat with with two students at a chic table on the porch of their competition entry, the mix of excitement and apprehension that is indicative of an international competition in the air. More than anything, though, the giddy pride of the students shone as they described the work they had completed.
“You have to think, how do you construct something and make it livable? You have to be careful, because it’s no longer a conceptual dream. It’s reality,” Jacqueline Stewart, an undergraduate in Appalachian State’s design program, described to me.
Reality it is, indeed. Appalachian State’s Solar Homestead has four different outbuildings that are connected by one outdoor living space called the Great Porch. The porch houses 42 solar panels that are bifacial, meaning they collect sunlight from both the top and the bottom of the panel.
Stewart said that the idea was to demonstrate how the future of solar energy is integrating solar energy into the house, not just adding the panel to the house. “We did this because we wanted to marry the engineering and the architecture,” Stewart said, “instead of just tacking solar panels on the roof.” The Homestead was inspired by the design used by settlers in North Carolina’s mountain region.
According to Kenric Hartman, the construction manager for the Homestead, the project was entirely student-designed and led. “A lot of people were starting from the beginning and a lot of people have not designed something to this scale, so it’s been a huge learning process,” said Hartman.
If the house were put on the market today, the students estimate it would go for around $350,000.
There is no engineering or architecture program at Appalachian State, and the bulk of the students come from either a construction or design background. Still, the design curriculum has a large focus on renewable energy technologies and building efficiency.
“Appalachian is always pushing the envelope on sustainability,” said Stewart, “and I think this is why, though we have no engineering or architecture program, we were able to do this.”
Ged Moody, sustainability director at Appalachian State, views the Solar Homestead as “a great rallying point for sustainability.” According to Moody, the Homestead has “built tremendous awareness, particularly around student involvement and renewable energy.”
Appalachian State is still trying to find a home for the solar house on campus, but there are some ideas in the pipeline. For instance, it could be used for long-term testing or used as a teaching tool for students on campus. Regardless, the Solar Homestead will certainly be an emblem of the students’ tenacity, creativity and dedication to renewable energy.
Posted: October 3, 2011, 2:07 AM