UMR students are building a place in the sun this summer as they put the finishing touches on their solar-powered house. The solar house will be a home away from home for several students this fall, when they live in the home on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of the Solar Decathlon.

Designing for the future

Solar energy doesn’t just power cars. It also powers homes, as a group of UMR students will soon demonstrate.

The UMR students are building a solar-powered house as part of the Solar Decathlon, a new competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. UMR students and students from Rolla Technical Institute are working together on the project.

The UMR/ RTI Solar House Team is one of 14 student groups from U.S. colleges and universities that will build an 800-square-foot home designed to accommodate a modern lifestyle. The UMR/RTI team is one of two teams from Missouri to compete in the Solar Decathlon. The groups will set up their own solar village in September on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Related Links

Read more about the Solar house team: web.mst.edu/~sunhome/
Find out more about the Solar Decathalon: www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/home.html