Cheerful, albeit exhausted solar decathletes are headed home this week after 21 days of excitement on the National Mall.

For the second decathlon in a row, Team Germany took first place, impressing judges and peers with their SurPLUShome, which used the maximum building dimensions acceptable by competition standards. In addition to first place overall, Team Germany was  recognized for excellence in the Architecture, Lighting Design, Comfort Zone, and Hot Water contests.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign took second place with Gable Home, a small home intended to pay tribute to its cultural roots while integrating advanced solar technology.

Team California’s Refract House took third with its innovative design and excellence in Architecture, Communications, Engineering and Market Viability contests.

Check out the video below to see Team Germany’s reaction when the Solar Decathlon 2009 winners are announced.

To get the whole story on this year's Solar Decathlon, take a look at these previous updates.

It's Almost Time for the 2009 Solar Decathlon
The Houses Leave Home
The Little House from a Big Town

On Oct. 16, the overall winner of the Solar Decathlon 2009 will be announced, along with the teams taking second and third place. In the meantime, each home is being evaluated during the DOE’s 10 contests, while teams keep an eye on the scoreboard.

Currently in eighth place, is Team ZEROW, whose head of communications, Allison Elliot, took a few moments from the chaos to share her enthusiasm about ZEROW HOUSE, and the opportunity to show it to the public.

“The last few days on the Mall have been wonderful,” Elliot says. “We have been open for public tours for two days now. Today alone we had over 2,020 visitors. The public has been excited by the cost of our house ($140,000) and has loved the beauty of the interior.”

This beautiful little home comes from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Its style is inspired by Project Row Houses in Houston’s Third Ward District, and is designed to fill a need in the community for affordable housing.  

ZEROW HOUSE’s unique features, emphasized on its team’s website, include the following:

Light Core: a space which can extend the indoor living area onto the deck, because Houston’s outdoor climate is pleasant for much of the year.

Wet Core: an 8-foot-by-10-foot space containing all of the home’s plumbing, electrical and solar systems.

Material Selection: building materials “affordable, sustainable and replicable” for Houston residents.

Photovoltaics: an on-the-grid solar system producing 4.2 kW with the goal of being affordable and accessible to local homeowners.

Solar Hot Water System: solar thermal collectors angled at 30 degrees to effectively absorb and retain heat.

Green Wall: a front porch wall planted with star jasmine, coral honeysuckle and tangerine cross vine.

Shade Structure: a shade for the light core and porch made of powder-coated steel.

According to Elliot, more than 100 students have put time and energy into ZEROW HOUSE since its inception, and that hard work was rewarded when the team took first place for hot water and second for architecture and market viability.

While Team ZEROW is thrilled with the success of their house, Rice News writer Jessica Stark quotes the decathletes’ enthusiasm about returning the little house to its big hometown in her article “Rice's unconventional house making waves — and energy — at Solar Decathlon.”

“Our house is a little different from the others out on the National Mall,” said Roque Sanchez, a Rice graduate student. “But that’s because we built ours for Houston. It still looks awesome out here between the Capitol and Washington Monument, but we’re excited to bring it back home and hope it will be a big winner.” 

Disassembly will begin on Oct. 19, just three days after the winner (Team California is currently in the lead) is announced. In the meantime, Elliot, Sanchez and their teammates are residing in a long-term stay hotel in the evenings and guiding tours during the day for visitors who, Elliot says, are delighted with the simplest aspects of ZEROW HOUSE.

"Everyone has loved the clothesline," she says. "You would be amazed by the number of people who stop to take a picture of it."

In my last blog post on landing a job in renewable energy, I discussed the importance of obtaining training, especially hands-on training, to those interested in pursuing a career in solar electricity, wind energy, passive solar design, home energy efficiency and green building.

Remember, too, that you can learn a lot from a good book. In recent years, there’s been an outpouring of good books on the subject. I’ve spent the last decade writing on the subject to help fill the void.  If you’re interested in solar electricity, check out my newest book, Power from the Sun. If you are interested in small wind, check out Power from the Wind. If you are interested in green building or natural building, I’ve written a bunch on those subjects, too. But enough shameless self-promotion.

My second advice was to get a move on. In other words, get going, as there are many people just like you who are pursuing the same dream.  Get your training now.

But what else can you do?

Another important step toward finding employment is to get out and meet the professionals in the industry. Call for a brief appointment to talk with the owners of local renewable energy companies—installers, manufacturers, consultants, or whatever aspect you are interested in.

Remember, however, these are busy folks. Sometimes very busy. Try to make an appointment for a brief visit at their office. Don’t propose sitting down over a cup of coffee that you’ll buy—as many people do to me. (They want me to drive a half hour to meet them, chat for an hour over coffee, then drive home for a lousy cup of coffee!) Your $2 dollar cup of coffee won’t make up for the $100 to $200 we lose just getting to know with you.

So, call, ask for five minutes at their office at a time that’s convenient for them so you can introduce yourself. Bring an updated resume that lists the courses you’ve taken, especially installation courses. Bring a cup of coffee and a doughnut or a potted plant, perhaps.

Come well dressed and well groomed. Lead with a smile and a friendly hand shake. Don’t be pushy. Let the person know you are interested in a job and what your qualifications are. Point out your practical experience.

Remember, too, it’s not enough to say you’ve been interested in this field for 20 years. So have a million others. And, more important, why didn’t you get into the field 20 years ago like the guy or gal you’re talking too?

Long-standing interest always amuses me. Many of us have been in this field for a very long time, fighting crucial battles, earning next to nothing … we have the battle scars to prove it. And now all of a sudden, here you are, claiming this long-standing interest. It not only amuses me, it’s a bit irksome. I don’t know how others feel, but my guess is that it irks them a bit, too.

So, simply let your prospective employer know your profound interest in the field, what classes you’ve taken, what certificates you have obtained, and what hands-on training you’ve had.

And here’s a radical idea: If he or she says they’re not hiring right now, but maybe a few months, tell him or her you’d be interested in working as an unpaid intern for a month or two—if you can afford the time.

“I’ll work for nothing” demonstrates a profound interest. You’ll surely get noticed.  If the prospective employer agrees, you’ll learn a lot, too. If you work hard and appear to be a great employee, you may land a job at the end of your internship.

Besides meeting face-to-face with prospective employers, start attending national conferences on renewable energy like the American Solar Energy Society’s annual meeting. If you are interested in small wind, attend the small wind conference in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin in June each year.

More important, be sure to attend meetings of local renewable energy or green building groups, and be sure to attend their conferences. Shake hands, get to know the folks … you never know what might happen. You can easily locate renewable energy groups online. Check out your state chapter of the American Solar Energy Society as a starter. They’re listed on the ASES web site.  In my next blog, I’ll discuss the importance of certificates. Until then, happy job hunting.

I teach classes on renewable energy and green building at The Evergreen Institute, my educational center in east-central Missouri. I also teach through other organizations and institutions such as the University of Colorado’s continuing education program.

One trend I’ve noticed in recent years is a dramatic increase in the number of students interested in pursuing a career in renewable energy or home energy efficiency. A few years ago, only one or two students in my classes would raise their hands indicating they wanted to pursue a career in renewable energy. Now, it’s half my class — sometimes more!

One of the questions students invariably ask me is “How do I get a job in the industry?” I’ll discuss this topic in this blog and a few follow ups.

My immediate answer to this question is “Get as much education as possible — with as much hands on experience as possible, too.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to enroll in college. Many colleges and universities in fact, are only recently awakening to the fact that we need programs in renewable education — and are scrambling to set them up.

(Permit me a bit of soapbox time: It seems to me that colleges and universities, the bastions of forward thinking, are always the last to figure out important trends. As one who has taught at the college level for more than 30 years, it seems to me that administrators haven’t grasped the importance of environmental education or renewable energy until recently. Where have they been?  I know there are programs in environmental science and some in renewable energy, but they’re often fairly new and inadequately supported. Enough said.)

A far faster way to get up to speed is to sign up for courses on renewable energy at one of the main educational centers like ours of Solar Energy International (based in Carbondale, Colo. If you live in California, try the Solar Living Institute). In a few weeks time, spread out over six months to a year, you can get up to speed fairly quickly.

By all means, though, once you’ve completed the basic and intermediate-level courses, sign up for as many hands-on courses as possible. The theory and background material you’ll gain in “Intro to Solar Electricity,” even “Intermediate PV,” is great, and the knowledge you’ll accumulate will help immensely. But if you’re interested in working for a company that installs solar-electric or wind systems, you’ll need experience — as much as possible — to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Sign up for as many installation classes as possible. This will save your employer the cost and time required for on-the-job training.

That leads me to my second recommendation. If you are truly interested in landing a job in this field, get to it right away. You’re not alone.

As I noted earlier, there are a lot of people who have suddenly arrived at the conclusion that renewable energy is an idea whose time has come. So, get going on your course work now.

If there aren’t any classes right now, you can begin by reading. There are many good books on these topics, available through our bookstore (www.evergreeninstitute.org), your local bookstore and online.

In future blogs, I’ll discuss other tips on landing a job in the industry.

If you’re considering installing solar-electric panels or a home wind turbine, one of the first questions to ask is whether you want to be on the grid or off the grid.

What’s the difference? A grid-tied system connects to the local electric utility, so you can sell power to the utility, or buy power when you need it. A grid-independent system does not connect to the local power lines. Instead, you produce all the power you need for your own home.

Both options have their pros and cons.  First, a grid-connected system is usually cheaper. For one thing, you don’t have to produce all your own power, so you can choose to purchase a smaller system. You will also need to purchase less equipment, because a grid-tied system doesn’t require batteries.

However, for some people off the grid is the only way to go because it allows you to be truly independent of the utility. During a power outage, your lights stay on. And who needs fossil fuels? You’re producing all the power you need from clean renewable energy. Also, if you live in a remote area that doesn’t already have electric service, an off-grid system can end up being cheaper than extending electric lines to your house.

So, tell us what you think. If you installed solar-electric panels or a wind turbine, would you want to connect to the grid? If you already have a home renewable energy system, what did you decide about a grid connection, and are you happy with that decision? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Many people dream about powering their homes with solar energy, but aren’t ready to make the investment in solar panels just yet. But chances are you’re already using solar power at home, even if it’s only in a small way.

There are a growing number of small, inexpensive solar-powered gadgets available that fit nearly every budget. That includes not only the familiar solar calculator, but a growing array of solar flashlights, radios, cell phone chargers, outdoor motion lights and more. Solar-powered products also are useful around the homestead, for example, for solar-powered electric livestock fencing.

Over the last couple of weeks, we ran a poll asking people if they were using these small solar-powered products and a surprisingly large number of people —almost 90 percent — said yes!

Now we’d like to know more about what you think of these solar gadgets, including what products you’re using and why — or why not. For example, do you have a solar cell phone charger or radio around because it’s a good backup for emergencies? Are you using solar motion lights because they’re convenient? Do they save you money?

Beyond that, what do you think about these small solar products in general? Are they gimmicky? Interesting? Useful?

Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

This week, NPR has been running a series called Power Hungry: Reinventing the U.S. Electric Grid. There’s a whole lot of good information there about renewable energy and the need for improvements to the grid in order to get wind and solar power into our homes. You can find the whole series at the link above.

Or, for one quick highlight, here’s a link to one great graphic on Visualizing the Grid. This map shows just about everything you might want to know about electricity in the United States. What does the grid look like now? Where are new power lines being proposed? Where are the best solar and wind resources? Take a look and find out.

PHOTO BY ISTOCKPHOTO/OLAF LOOSE

Sure, most people know that you can produce electricity with photovoltaic (PV) panels. But have you ever wondered exactly how solar cells generate electricity?

There’s a great, very detailed explanation of the whole process on the How Stuff Works website.

Or, here’s another idea. You can skip the article and jump straight to this solar cell quiz (also from How Stuff Works). You can learn a lot just by guessing, because the quiz format explains the answer right after each question.

If you're brave enough to share your quiz score (and whether or not you read the article) post it in the comments section below. My quiz score was 7/10 after reading the article. Think you can beat that? Go ahead, give it your best shot!

Cool Earth Solar has designed a mechanism for harnessing solar energy that looks like something more out of the Jetson’s than something that can catch the sun’s power.

Rather than flat panels, Cool Earth Solar’s model looks like an elongated bubble. According to this article, each unit is 8 feet in diameter, weighs 20 pounds when inflated and can produce 1 kilowatts. The article said these units can produce 300 to 400 times that of a standard solar-power generator.

The installation of these new solar panels is a little bit stickier. As I read the article, it seemed like these “solar concentrators” are suspended in the air by a wire attached to two wooden polls. But if you read something different want to correct me, by all means please do.

Cool Earth Solar’s first prototype plant is set to open in California within the next few weeks.

It’s that time of year again, that weekend in October we all look forward to – no, keep the candy hidden and the lights in storage – I’m talking about The National Solar Tour.

Check out homes and buildings in your area featuring the latest in solar technology and pick up some tidbits on how to make your life naturally brighter.

This year, the nationwide event expects up to 150,000 people to turn out in 49 participating states – making it the largest solar event in history.

And the timing of this national Sun-recognition day couldn't have come at a more exciting time for solar power. Earlier today, President Bush signed into law some eagerly awaited tax credits that will provide substantial support for renewable energy. They include support for commercial and residential solar power, as well as other forms of renewable energy including wind power, tidal and wave power, and geothermal energy. You can read more about the tax credits here from Renewable Energy World.

The tax credits were tacked onto the bailout plan, so maybe some good will come of it after all.

"This action will create over one hundred new U.S. jobs..., cut U.S. energy imports and slash greenhouse gas emissions, says Scott Sklar, President of The Stella Group, Ltd.

At this rate, the Sun may become more of a star than it already is!

So get out there this weekend and find out something you didn’t know about your community. And hey, let us know what you found out too.

PHOTO BY ISTOCKPHOTO

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they may have discovered a cheaper and more efficient way to produce electricity from solar cells. Researchers have developed solar concentrators that use dyed glass. They work in three steps:

1. Pushes captured light to the edges of the glass.
2. Concentrates the light.
3. Squeezes out more than double the electricity as typical solar cell output.

This new technology is expected to be available within three years.

For more information, check out the following articles:

See-Through Solar Hack Could Double Panel Efficiency
MIT Spin-off Dyes Glass to Make Solar ‘Windows’
MIT Researchers Develop Windows to Channel Solar Energy

The state of Hawaii just passed a new law requiring all new homes to have solar water heaters installed starting in 2010. The bill, signed by Republican Governor Linda Lingle, will not allow building permits to be issued for homes that do not have solar water heaters.

Hawaii is the first state to require such a law and Hawaiian Electric Co. estimates that about 85, 000 households, or roughly 20 percent, already have solar water heaters installed. The law is a big move for a state that relies heavily on imported fossil fuels for 90 percent of its supply.

A traditional water heater is the most electricity-consuming appliance in a home and it accounts for about 40 percent of all home energy use, according to an article from the Associated Press. Solar powered water heaters reduce energy use by about 30-35 percent and with those savings the initial expense of the water heater can be paid off in three to four years, says MSNBC. Solar water heaters cost about $7000 on top of already sky-high Hawaiian mortgage costs, but supporters are confident that the benefits to the environment and foreign energy independence will be worth it.

Similar to a wind-powered town in Missouri, Hawaii’s new law takes the initiative in having its citizens partake in renewable energy practices, rather than just giving them the option. In January, Lingle announced the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which seeks to have at least 70 percent of Hawaii’s energy come from renewable sources by 2030.

For those living outside the Aloha state, here’s an article on how to build your own solar water heater:

 Build Your own Passive Solar Water Heater