Virginia Tech’s “Lumenhaus” has won the solar decathlon in Madrid, Spain. From the VT news service:
Virginia Tech’s entry in Solar Decathlon Europe has won the 10-day competition in Madrid, Spain; it was announced Sunday evening.
Here’s a look at the solar house. There’s more information here.
After being inspected in different categories each day, the solar house — designed and originally constructed on the Blacksburg campus — was declared the most efficient structure in the decathlon.
Virginia Tech was one of only two US universities invited to compete in the competition. I should note that there are some formidable entrants from both Spain and Germany, both of which I saw last year in the 2009 competition on the Washington DC National Mall. Back then, I had the pleasure of touring the Lumenhaus both on the Blacksburg campus AND on the mall in Washington. I was and am proud of the Hokies for their hard work and the fabulous job they did providing their tours.
As we await the toll of the latest hurricane on the Gulf, coupled with the vast and hazardous movement of oil to the Gulf shores, it is a joy (for a change, to see research such as this gain traction.
