Update 10/16/09: Winners are Team Germany, Team Illinois (pictured here), and Team California.
Starting today through Oct. 18, houses built by teams vying to win the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon will be open to the public on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Under the annual competition, 20 teams of college and university students compete to see which can build the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house, according to the event website.
Homeowners and the public that make it to the Mall can walk through the homes and see what solar technologies might be in store for the residential sector.
The three-week competition has three main phases: building the houses; moving to the "solar village" on the Mall; and competing, when teams are awarded points for their performance in several contests (measuring architecture, comfort, and market viability, etc.). And this year, a new net-metering contest will test the homes' ability to produce their own power.
The public can tour the homes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
According to the standings today, Team California and Team Ontario are neck and neck; Team Virginia Tech from our area is in 10th place. The winner will be announced Oct. 16.
(Photo: The University of Illinois uses refurbished wood from an old barn for the siding of its house during the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2009; Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)
Below, watch the welcome video: