The U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon is open for applications from collegiate institutions, both for the annual 2022 Design Challenge and the biennial 2023 Build Challenge.
According to the application page, teams in the Design Challenge create residential or commercial building designs over the course of one or two semesters, and compete in one of six divisions: New Housing, Retrofit Housing, Attached Housing, Multifamily Building, Office Building, and Education Building. The Build Challenge is a two-year design-build competition, in which qualifying teams design and build structures in their communities that integrate solutions to real-world problems.
For both challenges, teams are evaluated on the basis of 10 contests: architecture, engineering, market analysis, durability and resilience, embodied environmental impact, integrated performance, occupant experience, comfort and environmental quality, energy performance, and presentation.
Resources available for interested collegiate teams include the Solar Decathlon Competition Guide, which lays out the criteria and rules of the full event, and the 2022 Design Challenge rules and 2023 Build Challenge Rules, which go in depth on the individual challenge requirements.
All three documents are available alongside application forms at the Solar Decathlon website. Institutions are encouraged to apply to participate by Oct. 26 at 5 PM ET. Team applications may be submitted for both challenges.
