The Solar Decathlon is coming back to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. October 9-13 & 15-18, 2009.

Twenty college and university teams have created and built energy efficient solar-powered homes that will be reconstructed on the Mall. As part of the Decathlon, judges will use ten measures to evaluate each house, including comfort, market viability, and “net metering” (excess energy contributed to the grid).

The Decathlon is an international competition that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Mall every two years. This year, NEA is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR^® to bring teachers and students a range of educational opportunities for exploring how the sun can power their world. Here are three ways teachers and students can participate:

National Solar Education Competition
(Deadline: September 30, 2009)
Public school teachers, with teams of up to 10 students, are invited to submit their solar experiments. The winning team will be announced on YouTube and their experiment will be conducted on the National Mall during the Decathlon. Each student on the winning team (up to 10) will receive an IPod. Their teacher will receive an ENERGY STAR-qualified compact refrigerator and a microwave for either classroom or teacher lounge use.

The NEA & ENERGY STAR Solar Decathlon Broadcast Network
During the Decathlon, teachers and classes can watch student hosted broadcasts highlighting the Decathlon and energy efficiency. Student reporters will interview competitors, energy experts, government officials, and others.  Related classroom resources and activities will be available online.

Solar Education Day – October 13, 2009
Students and teachers from middle schools in the greater Washington D.C. area will be invited to the National Mall for energy efficiency education workshops, as well as VIP tours of the competing homes. (Other schools are welcome to tour on other days.)

For information on the National Solar Education Competition, go to http://www.nea.org/grants/35833.htm
For general information on the 2009 Solar Decathlon, go to www.solardecathlon.org

Support for this project is provided by Nationwide Marketing Group, Danby^®, Electrolux, Dell, Duke Energy and Oak Ridge Associated Universities.