Houses are displayed on National Mall

Georgia Tech will compete against 20 other international collegiate teams in October 2007 to build the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory selected 20 teams from the United States, Canada and Europe to compete in Solar Challenge 2007. Each team must design, build and operate an 800-square-foot house that can generate enough solar energy to operate a household, a home-based business and an electric car.

The teams receive $100,000 from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — about a third of the total cost — to support the project.

"The students will have to raise about $250,000," architecture professor Chris Jarrett, one of the project managers, said. "We plan to bring in the College of Management since they have experience in fund raising, marketing and promotion. This will be a true interdisciplinary effort."

Jarrett said the house will be built in a highly visible space on campus and trucked to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for judging in October 2007. Teams are judged in 10 categories emphasizing energy efficiency, design and comfort.

The team includes students from the College of Architecture, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the School of Biology and the Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development and will by led by architecture professors Ruchi Choudhary, Franca Trubiano and Jarrett.

The Solar Decathlon takes place every other year; the 2005 winner was the University of Colorado.

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