UF students' solar house to compete internationally

February 25, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A group of University of Florida students will debut an 800-square-foot solar home designed, constructed and marketed to compete in this summer’s Solar Decathlon Europe, an international competition to advance sustainable living.

The University of Florida Solar Decathlon team, comprised of more than 70 students and advisers from more than eight disciplines in four colleges, began work on the project in 2008. The team now has its eyes set on Madrid where it will compete in June in 10 categories such as innovation, solar power, sustainability and communication to be crowned the most sustainable and marketable solar house.

UF’s entry, Project RE:FOCUS, fuses innovation with the historic precedent of the Florida Cracker House to inspire solutions for sustainable living that fit market needs.

“From concept and design to construction and promotion, the team aims to demonstrate the viability of living in sustainable homes without sacrificing basic comfort or financial security,” said Laura Ettedgui, spokeswoman for the project.

The competition, while modeled after the U.S. Solar Decathlon competitions that began in 2002, marks the first event outside of the U.S. Of the 19 schools selected to compete, UF is one of only two representing the U.S. The competition will take place June 18-27, 2010.

For more information on the project, visit:
www.floridasolardecathlon.org
or on Twitter, www.twitter.com/projectrefocus
or Facebook, www.facebook.com/projectrefocus.