University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

UWM Competes in 2009 Solar Decathlon

In 2008, UWM and its School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP) received the high honor of an invitation to compete in the 2009 Solar Decathlon sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  Thanks to the support of many corporate and foundation partners, the UWM 2009 Solar Decathlon Meltwater House joined the competition held in October 2009, on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

UWM, as the only team ever chosen from Wisconsin, joined a select group of 20 college and university teams from around the world.  This prestigious group included teams from Cornell University, Ohio State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany.  The teams competed to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.  U.S. DOE Secretary, Samuel W. Bodman, said, “The caliber of this year’s proposals was outstanding and we were thrilled with the significant increase in the number of applicants.”

Teams were judged through a series of 10 contests:  architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and net metering. 

UWM’s team was lead by Greg Thompson (Assistant Professor, SARUP), Chris Cornelius (Assistant Professor, SARUP), Yaoyu Li (Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering), and Abdolhosein Nasiri (Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering). 

The competition offered numerous benefits for students, UWM, and the community.  Students learned about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green building technologies.  Interdisciplinary in nature, the project allowed students and faculty from different academic disciplines, namely engineering and architecture, to work together.  The competition raised public awareness about renewable energy and energy efficiency, and demonstrated the potential of Zero Energy Homes. 

Reaching an international audience of over 1 billion, the competition offered sponsors a wonderful opportunity for name recognition and to demonstrate their support for UWM and for the competition.

For more information about the 2009 Solar Decathlon Competition:  http://www.solardecathlon.org/

For more information about UWM’s Solar Decathlon project: http://www4.uwm.edu/uwm_sd09

An important criterion for initial selection to the competition was the ability to raise additional funds to complete the project.  Many organizations stepped forward to support UWM’s team.  UWM and SARUP would like to thank the following companies and foundations for their generous support.

Supporters as of September 15, 2009: