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Oct 15, 2009 10:31 pm US/Central
'U' Shines In Solar Decathlon Competition
WASHINGTON (WCCO) ―
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Workers complete final preparations on a home designed by a team from the University of Minnesota on the National Mall at The Energy Department's 2009 Solar Decathlon October 7, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Workers complete final preparations on a home designed by a team from the University of Minnesota on the National Mall at The Energy Department's 2009 Solar Decathlon October 7, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
-
-
Workers complete final preparations on a home designed by a team from the University of Minnesota on the National Mall at The Energy Department's 2009 Solar Decathlon October 7, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
-
-
Workers complete final preparations on a home designed by a team from the University of Minnesota on the National Mall at The Energy Department's 2009 Solar Decathlon October 7, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The University of Minnesota took first place Thursday in the Lighting Design contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.
The university impressed the panel of jurors, made up of lighting designers and industry experts, with its solar home's aesthetically pleasing lighting design, which used natural and artificial light to meet the needs of the user while maintaining high efficiency.
Twenty university-led teams from the United States, Canada, Germany and Spain are competing in the fourth Solar Decathlon to design, build and operate houses powered by the sun.
The event, held on the National Mall, will end Friday when an overall winner will be announced.
The University of Minnesota and its ICON Solar Home is in fifth place with more than 600 points.
Teams are competing in 10 contests, evaluating several aspects of a home's appearance, such as architecture, market viability and comfort. The contests also measure a home's efficiency optimization, energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, home entertainment, lighting and appliances.
Ron Kurtz, a lighting juror, noted that the U of M's home featured an array of LED lighting that was both intuitive and easy to operate. He went on to compliment the way the team used adjustable shading panels to provide natural day lighting.
The University of Minnesota finished with 72 points in lighting, followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign with 70.50 points. Team Germany and Penn State tied for third with more than 69 points.
The University of Illinois is currently leading in overall standings with 629.19 points, followed by Team California and Team Ontario.
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