Members of the Solar Decathlon team have returned from winter break refreshed and ready to go! We have been working closely with consultants like our own AE Alums Brennon Glantz ’97, of Bosak Construction and Mike Miller ’96, of Southland Industries to fine tune the engineering systems. Teams are building mock ups, and actual construction will begin in February at the CATO Park lab on West College Avenue. Construction should be in full swing by April and May.

In January, before classes started, ten representatives from the team had the opportunity to meet the other Decathlon teams and attend information sessions with the Decathlon Officials in Washington D.C.. The competition was INTENSE. Half of the teams have competed in the event in previous years. Germany’s team announced its $350,000 endowment from Bosch. Unfortunately, the Penn State team has only raised one third of our $300,000 goal. Please become a sponsor today to help us reach our goal and win the Solar Decathlon!

For those of you unfamiliar the Decathlon, Prof. David Riley of the AE Department is spearheading a University-wide effort to advance renewable energy at Penn State through participation in the Decathlon. A large team of faculty from many disciplines is supporting a diverse team of Penn State students to compete in the 2007 event next October. AE graduate student Andreas Phelps is passionate about the project: "Penn State's involvement in the 2007 Solar Decathlon has offered us a great opportunity to focus many diverse interests in sustainability that can help bring Penn State to the forefront of sustainability research and outreach."

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate student teams to design, build and operate a solar powered home on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Homes are judged in ten different Decathlon contests to promote efficient and affordable renewable technologies. Penn State’s entry, the MorningStar Pennsylvania, will feature green design and high-performance renewable energy systems, including:

• A combination of affordable energy saving strategies and solar-electric power systems.
• Regionally available materials and services that help create jobs and promote local economic growth.
• A hydrogen fuel cell car that plugs into the home…no more trips to the gas station!
• Web-based controls providing feedback to occupants to help them make informed money-saving choices about energy and water use.

After the competition in D.C. in the fall of 2007, the MorningStar Pennsylvania will return home to the University Parkcampus and the site of the Center for Sustainability. Located on Porter Road, across from Beaver Stadium, the MorningStar Pennsylvania will serve as a renewable energy research lab with tours and educational programming for K-12, Penn State students, and the general public. For more information on the Center for Sustainability, please visit www.engr.psu.edu/cfs.

The team will also build an affordable version of the home in Montana this summer on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Working with the American Indian Housing Initiative, also led by Prof. Riley, students and advisors will travel west in June to test the affordability and application of the MorningStar concept in another region of the world. The Montana version will serve as a demonstration home, and a residence for visiting faculty on the campus of Chief Dull Knife College. As always, AIHI invited alumni and volunteers to join the construction this summer. For more information on this project, please visit www.engr.psu.edu/greenbuild.

Please join us in our first Solar Decathlon experience. Visit www.solar.psu.edu to stay informed and learn more about how to become a sponsor.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS TO DATE (as of 1/21/07)

Donor: Warfel Construction Company, Sunlight Homes, EDIS Company, Foreman Architects - Engineers & Construction Managers, Gillespie Engineering Inc., Facility Engineering Associates P.C., Barton Associates Inc., L. Robert Kimball & Associates Inc., Rader Engineering Inc., Ruby + Associates PC, EI Associates, Advanced Building Systems Inc.

Friend: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, Inc., SK&A Structural Engineers, PLLC

Team: Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers, LLC, Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association, SSOE, Inc

.

Sunrise: Clark-Nexsen Architecture & EngineeringQuasar: Burdeshaw Associates, Inc., Centex Construction, Arthur GlennPulsar: NECA and Electri’ International, West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund