U-Mass Students Engage in Heated Competition
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8-A group of students from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has moved into a new house in a rather unconventional location-the National Mall.
“It’s so exciting,” said team member Adrienne Schaefer, a junior. “I came here and I was amazed.”
Schaefer, and 23 of her UMass classmates, form one of the18 teams competing in the 2005 Solar Decathlon. The contest, sponsored by the Department of Energy, challenges college students to design, build and operate an entirely solar-powered house that combines aesthetics and practicality.
The Solar Village, as the collection of houses has been dubbed, is open to the public until Oct.16. Workshops, product demonstrations, and educational exhibits help visitors understand the everyday applications of the technology the homes employ.
“[The Decathlon] is about education and awareness, and a big part of that is just getting people involved,” said Dr. Gerald LeMay, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and the leader of the UMass team.
Construction began on the team’s small, yellow house began in May, after almost two years of planning.
“I liked seeing something that we designed and planned coming to life,” said Julian Plante, a team member who has been involved in the project since last September.
When it came time to move the house to Washington, however, challenges arose. The front half of the structure pulled on to the Mall at 4:45 on the morning of Sept. 29. The rear section, however, was delayed by an accident that required it to be loaded on to a new trailer, and followed late the next day.
Because the new trailer was lower to the ground than the original, the back hallway now sits two feet below the kitchen floor-a violation of the rule that houses must be wheelchair accessible. The team was therefore forced to cordon off the bedroom and bathroom, designating them as viewing-only areas.
“Our setbacks are kind of disappointing,” Schaefer said. “But its great that we still made it.”
By Tuesday, tile and carpeting were being installed, and by Thursday, the living room was furnished and the kitchen table was set with linen napkins and wine glasses.
Clouds and rain blocked the sun in Washington for much of the village’s opening weekend. However, the house continued to operate, thanks to 10 back-up batteries that store the excess energy collected on sunny days. LeMay said he was confident that the house could operate for the entire 8 days of competition with no additional sunlight.
The construction effort was aided by seven AmeriCorps volunteers working through Habitat for Humanity. Van Anderson, who works with Habitat, sees the partnership as a natural fit with his organization’s mission of providing affordable housing to low-income people.
“Green building is a part of. decreasing the day-to-day, and month-to-moth expenses our owners have to pay,” Anderson explained.
After the competition, the UMass team will be donating the house to Habitat for Humanity. The organization will then use the building to support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, either by selling it and donating the proceeds, or by shipping the home directly to the Gulf Coast.
Two of the solar decathletes, Matthew and James Crisham, are former students at the University of New Orleans, who had to leave the city when the hurricane struck.
If the vinyl-sided house seems simple when compared to the curved cedar walls of the University of Maryland entry, or the dramatic modern lines of the entry from Spain, it is by design. The Massachusetts team wanted to show the ways that energy-efficient technology can be implemented in an average home.
“The visitors really like that aspect of our house,” said Solu Nwanze, a senior computer engineering major. “It was built to be lived in, not for show and decoration.”
The UMass team saved even more, thanks to donations of money, material, and time from a variety of community members.
Much of the building materials-including the carpeting, tiles, solar panels, windows, and electrical supplies-were donated or offered at a sharply discounted price. The pale yellow siding on the solar house was donated by Louann Jenkinson, a Rochester resident who was having it removed from her home.
“Keeping [the siding] out of the landfill keeps it out of our water system. And it just lasts forever,” said LeMay.
Several community members also participated in the construction, plumbing, and electrical work. Tim Lyden, a Dartmouth builder who has been involved in solar construction projects since the ’70s, and Jared Fortna, a UMass alumnus who now lives in Allston, traveled to Washington to assist with the building.
This year, each Solar Decathlon team received a grant of $5,000 from the Department of Energy. The Massachusetts team raised an additional $50,000 from a combination of sources including the university, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, various foundations, and individual donations.
LeMay calculated the cost of the house, if all the supplies had been bought at retail price, to be approximately $250,000.
“It’s just the generosity of everyone involved that let us get it built for $50,000,” said LeMay.
In 2007, the next time the event will be held, each team will be awarded $100,000.
LeMay said he looks forward to leading another team in 2007, building on the knowledge he has gained from this year’s experience.
For many of the team members, the experience has demonstrated how their actions and choices can affect the larger community. Several expressed interest in continuing to explore solar technology after graduating from UMass.
“You do your small part and everyone else does their part,” said Fortna, “and all of a sudden the whole country is doing much better.”
