Recently I had an opportunity to visit Washington, DC for the Solar Decathlon--an intense competition where student teams from around the world are given enough dough from the U.S. Department of Energy to build innovative solar-powered homes. The houses are then transported to the National Mall and opened to the public between rounds of judging. (I had fun with the team that went on to win.)
While touring the houses on a rainy day I discovered--with a hand from intrepid Discovery News producer Jorge Ribas--that shiny photovoltaics are only part of the equation. Using tech found at the competition, homeowners can aim for their own zero energy homes, ones that generate as much energy from renewable sources as they consume:
Tags: Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Green Tech, Renewable Energy, Solar Power
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