Team from Daytona State College Competing in the 2020 Solar Decathlon

DSC is one of 55 schools from around the globe taking part in the design challenge

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (Jan. 6, 2020) – A team from Daytona State College will be among those taking part in the 2020 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. Teams are expected to prepare creative solutions for real-world issues in the building industry while vying to be selected as one of the finalists in the Design Challenge Weekend, April 17–19, 2020, hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

Daytona State is one of 55 schools in the challenge which features 82 teams from across the globe. Other schools from the U.S. include the University of Central Florida, and highly-regarded engineering schools such as the University of Illinois, MIT, Penn State University, Purdue University, UCLA, the University of Wisconsin, and last year's champion, Virginia Tech. Teams will also be competing from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

"We have a very enthusiastic group of students who have been meeting regularly for a few months now, and they have developed an amazing concept that I feel may just give us a real edge in the competition," said faculty advisor Deborah Kirkland.

The competition is comprised of ten separate contests that challenge student teams to design highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy. The teams compete in one of six building divisions they choose that include suburban single-family homes, urban single-family homes, attached housing, mixed-use multifamily homes, elementary schools, and office buildings. Daytona State has chosen the suburban single-family homes category.

Teams are evaluated to determine how effectively they integrate energy efficiency into well-designed, high-performance buildings that "push the envelope" for consumers and industry. The ten contests used for evaluation are:

1.) Energy Performance
2.) Engineering
3.) Financial Feasibility and Affordability
4.) Resilience
5.) Architecture
6.) Operations
7.) Market Potential
8.) Comfort and Environmental Quality
9.) Innovation
10.) Presentation

"The contest has two goals," said student leader Ryan Amsel. "One is to advance careers in sustainable building technology, and the second is to create high-performance buildings in regard to energy efficiency. Because we live in a coastal community with increasingly severe storms, building resilient homes is our focus."

Colleges and universities that participate in the challenge are recognized as leaders who are producing career-ready professionals with cutting-edge skills. Industry partners who collaborate with teams gain national and local recognition with the opportunity to interact with knowledgeable future design and construction professionals.

Finalists will be announced in February 2020, with those teams advancing to the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Weekend in April. The teams will then present their designs to a panel of industry expert jurors, compare their projects to those of other teams, learn from presentations by thought leaders and collegiate peers, and engage with a variety of organizations about energy careers. The winners will be those teams that best blend architectural and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart energy production. Winning teams are recognized at an awards banquet, and their presentations are published on the website.

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