Re: [GBlist] Solar Decathlon starts today (information from EREN list)

[Kirsten Flynn <kir@declan.com>]

On 9/25/02 12:12 AM, "Hammonds, Mark (BP Solar)" <HammonM@bp.com> wrote:
Thanks so much for this link, Mark.  It is very interesting to click though
this website!
> Weather Uncertain as Solar Decathlon Competition Gears Up
> 
> The competition phase of the Solar Decathlon begins on Thursday, and
> the Solar Village -- consisting of the 14 competing solar houses --
> is steadily taking shape on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
> The university teams and their partially constructed homes all
> arrived safely, despite treks from as far away as Texas, Missouri,
> Colorado, and even Puerto Rico. And as the Solar Village takes
> shape, so does the Solar Decathlon Web site, which now features
> daily photos of the competition. During the competition, the site
> will also feature team diaries, scoring results, and rankings. See
> the Solar Decathlon Web site at:
> <http://www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/>.
> 
> The competition will be open to the public starting Thursday, but
> for those of us unable to visit in person, the Web site now provides
> images and descriptions of each entry. Through these new Web pages,
> you can see the diversity of approaches used by the teams and gain
> an appreciation for the creativity and innovation of the entries.
> Although every team combines energy efficiency and solar
> technologies in their homes, the teams are using a variety of
> strategies to maintain comfortable interior temperatures, including
> water-filled walls and columns for heat storage, radiant floor
> heating, heat pumps, natural ventilation, and shutters and awnings.
> For daylighting, some teams are using high-tech skylights and
> translucent walls. The Texas A&M team even designed and built its
> own appliances. And although it isn't part of the competition, many
> teams took extra efforts to use sustainable materials in their
> homes. See the "Follow the Teams" section of the Web site at:
> <http://www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/follow.html>.
> 
> A big factor in the competition, of course, is the weather. The
> teams had to prepare for the competition knowing that record highs
> for this time of year in the nation's capital have reached the
> mid-90s, and record lows have descended into the mid-30s. But at
> press time on Tuesday, the temperature forecast is favorable, with
> predicted highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s or 60s. The outlook
> for sunshine, however, is less favorable, with showers expected on
> Thursday and continuing into the weekend. See the Weather Channel
> forecast at: <http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USDC0001>.
> 
> The weekend weather forecast may deteriorate, since at present,
> Tropical Storm Isadore is expected to return to hurricane force and
> head north, likely bringing more rain to the region this weekend.
> And another tropical storm, Lili, is expected to sweep through the
> Caribbean heading northwest late this week, potentially bringing
> more rain to the nation's capital next week. See the Weather
> Channel's Tropical Storm Tracker at:
> <http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/activeatlantic.html>.
> 
> Mark Hammonds
> BP Solar www.bpsolar.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________
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> 


______________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by REPP/CREST, creator of
Solstice http://www.crest.org, and BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of
Environmental Building News and GreenSpec http://www.BuildingGreen.com
______________________________________________________________________