Solar Decathlon Build Challenge
Texas A&M University is one of 124 teams from 97 universities around the world participating in this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a collegiate competition which asks student teams to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings that mitigate climate change and improve quality of life through greater affordability, resilience, and energy efficiency.
Texas A&M University students in architecture, construction science, and architectural engineering designed a 1,600 square-foot, single-family home powered by mainly by solar and other renewable energy sources. The residence, developed in partnership with the Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity, will start construction in January 2023 and is located at 1613 Conlee St. in Bryan.
Texas A&M entered the Solar Decathlon’s 2023 Build Challenge in November 2021 and was formally accepted in April 2022 after the team’s presentation to the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Texas A&M team, known as Solar Texas, is one of the fifteen national teams who worked over a two-year period to design, build and operate a house in their local area.
“The Solar Decathlon continues to be at the forefront of building the next generation of student leaders who can address climate change through the built environment,” said Holly Jamesen Carr, director of Solar Decathlon. “As these students take on the toughest challenges in the built environment, their bright ideas and creativity will be crucial in the transition to a clean energy economy.”
The Texas A&M team will be competing in both Solar Decathalon competitions this year. The winners of which will be teams that best blend architectural and engineering excellence with innovation.
Design Challenge (annual)
Teams create a residential or commercial building design over one–two semesters and compete in one of six divisions:
- New Housing (NH)
- Retrofit Housing (RH)
- Attached Housing (AH)
- Multifamily Building (MB)
- Office Building (OB)
- Educational Building (EB)
Build Challenge (bi-annual)
Build Challenge teams work over a two-year period to design, build and operate a house in their local area.
Their finished structure will be scored across ten categories:
- Energy Performance
- Financial Feasibility & Affordability
- Architecture
- Market Potential
- Innovation
- Engineering
- Resilience
- Operations
- Comfort & Environmental Quality
- Presentation