Middlebury Chosen for 2013 Solar Decathlon
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Middlebury College was one of 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
After November’s announcement of Middlebury’s bid, the College is buzzing with excitement with word of the selection.
Via Middlebury’s News Room, President Liebowitz said:
We are honored that our students will have the opportunity to represent Middlebury and the value and power of a liberal arts education in the Solar Decathlon. The team defied expectations in the last competition, overcoming a lack of an engineering education to create a sustainable and efficient home. With unwavering support from the community and institution, our students will meet the challenge once more.
After an incredible fourth place finish by the Middlebury Team at the 2011 Decathlon (with Self-Reliance, a 21st-Century New England farmhouse), the team’s 2013 bid takes a new direction.
More than 80 students have signed to be a part of the team for the In-Fill home. In-Fill is a home that, as Middlebury reports, “will adapt and evolve to inspire healthy, resourceful living on underutilized, neglected city properties. As the name suggests, the home will ‘fill in’ leftover urban spaces.”
This year’s competition will be held at Orange County Great Park, a change from the previous location of the National Mall. It is noted by the Department of Energy for its emphasis on sustainability. Fellow Vermont School, Norwich University, was also selected to compete in the competition. The full list of selected teams, and the Department of Energy’s announcement can be found here.
Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, the competition site for Solar Decathlon 2013. (Photo courtesy of the Orange County Great Park Corp and Department of Energy.)
Founded in 2002, the Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition. The competition comprises of the decathlon’s 10 contests which gauge the performance, livability and affordability of each home.
