Solar Decathlon scores

Dave Yates (PAH)

left for your location yesterday. Should be there by Mon or Tues. When I met with the team leader, he laid out the energy management strategy they were using to s t r e t c h the energy. I'd asked him about the long stretch of cloudy weather and, in true characteristic student optomistic fashion, he welcomed the blocked sun's rays as a better test of everyone's overall design skills. He said something like: "This is GREAT because it will elicit the most stringent demands on our (he was referring to all entries here) skills for not only design, but true energy management. After all, cloudy days must be part of the equation, or else being grid-free doesn't hold much meaning."

While he was disappointed by the points awarded for architecture, he also let me in on a secret that they were deliberately breaking the humidity limits in order to conserve energy. "That'll cost us less penalty points than if we run the A/C to reduce humidity and exceed our energy withdraway limits."

When I first caught up with him, he was intently studying the power consumption history on the computer and plotting their strategy.

Hats off to Colorado!

Hats off to ME too. I had an opportunity to see ME's handy-work in their mechanical room and just the mere mention that I knew the Guru of Btu's got me the Red Carpet treatment. Thanks pal!

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[Deleted User]

Check for score results

You can follow the scores of your favorite teams at

http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar_decathlon/

ME

[Deleted User]

It's over!!!

And the envelope please. RRRRrrriiiiipppp, and the 2005 winner of the solar decathlon is...

THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, DEFENDING CHAMPIONS!!!

I'm so proud I coud bust my buttons...

Only problem was, they forgot to invite the sun!!

ME

[Deleted User]

So it came down to this...

Energy/Power management. They manipulated the system to their advantage!

I guess thats what these competitons are all about.

From what I understand, the state of the art is still developing, and this was an opportunity to put it all on the line.

I find it intersting that none of them had their systems hooked up to an earth linked heating/cooling system. I'll make a prediction that the next one has a ground coupled heat pump connected with solar... Don't ask me how I know, I just know:-) I'll also bet they take the contest.

The student who worked up the mechanical description/drawings was a direct study of mine.

I met her while I was doing a weekend HO learning session. She was working the show for CU. She was very interested in the Warmboard that I had at my table.

She did me proud...

ME

[Deleted User]

other graphics...

Here are some other interesting graphs. You get out of these what you read into them, and anything can be read into them...and misinterpretted:-)

Enjoy!

ME

[Deleted User]

Thanks Dave!

I look forward to the pics. Gotta give credit for the pipe work to professor Jim Eastman, my replaement at RRCC.

I worked with the team on conceptual/design. Jim, Dale Chavez and myself performed the WarmBoard/Wirsbo installation and Jim did most of the pipe work in the mechanical room.

One of my students from RRCC made the trip out to DC. Told him if he'd visit the Decathlon I'd give him credit for the class...

Thanks for the kudos and the pics!

ME

Steve Ebels_3

And we're supposed to be.............

Suprised? No suprise to me professor. No suprise at all!!

Congrats Mark!!

Wayco Wayne_2

Congrats to the Co.team Mark

I went out last Sunday. The crowds were so great I only got into 5 houses and sepnt a lot of time in line. I wish the U of MD had done better. I saw several houses with ground source. Because they could not dig a loop (there are many tunnels under the Mall) they were running into some large plastic ag. tanks for thermal mass. I may sneak down again today. This is the last day I think. WW

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[Deleted User]

Thanks for the kudos Steve!

I am but one tooth in a large cog. Your home state had an entry too.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar_decathlon/team_michigan.html

with a home web site link of

http://www.misohouse.org/home.php?flashIDset=good&introset=gone

Lots of interesting designs...

ME

[Deleted User]

Funny thing Wayne...

When I broached the subject of hybrid solar and water source heat pump, the mechanical enginnering advsior pooh poohed it as being too "out of the box" thinking...

Some professors, I'm tellin ya:=)

Glad you got to experience it.

ME

[Deleted User]

More Solar Decathlon Pictures courtesy Dave Yates

Thanks for the pictures Dave, wish I could have been there.

These are long distance pictures...

First taken by Dave in DC, transported via camera to York Pa, down loaded to disc and sent to me in Denver via US Mail

Thanks a million Dave!

BTW, the reasoning behind the vertical Evac tube collectors is to take advantage of compounded solar gain from the reflection off of Colorado snow...

These students, I'm tellin' ya:-)

ME