If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much.
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Dear Friends & Readers,
This week, I have set out a task for myself, perhaps you can also assist me in magnifying the effect of my effort. Few days ago, I came across several articles about Ohio State University’s (OSU’s) commendable Haiti Empowerment Project.
One of the core Ohio State University’s values, according to the Academic Plan, is “making the world a better place and opening the world to our students.’ Through the experiences of the faculty participating in this project, OSU students observe and participate in the connections between culture, economics, and outreach. The result is a broadening of one’s perceptions of the various cultures of the world and an introduction of a vision of empowerment for global education in their own professional lives. Within the past four to five years, this Empowerment Project had grown both in application and vision, evolving from working with pilot schools to addressing the unique needs of Haitian business, medicine, English literature, and engineering. Below, I’d like to share with you a video clip of OSU’s Sun Solutions/Solar Energy Project under Haiti Empowerment Project.
How can I/you/we help to expand/magnify the effect of this commendable project? Firstly, my immediate thought after reading these articles and viewing video clips about this wonderful empowerment project was to contact those involved with OSU’s Haiti Empowerment Project to get in touch with the field partners of Kiva in Haiti, www.kiva.org/partners , for the collaboration between Haiti entrepreneurs-OSU-Kiva would bring forth the potential of a lasting prosperity to all. For those of you who did not read my post on Jan. 1, 2012, please go to http://sunisthefuture.net and look for Jan. 1, 2012 post under the Archives at right. Kiva Microfunds is an organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries and USA. If OSU’s empowerment project would also help to educate Haitian Kiva field partners, helping them to realize all components involved in various solar energy projects, this would help to speed up the process of local Haitian solar businesses to be established and to provide for a much more lasting economic impact for the people at Haiti. In the process, OSU will also have more business contacts with Haiti in the future. For those of you who are associated with universities/colleges other than OSU, have you thought of assisting in development of solar and/or renewable energy projects, not only in USA, but also in/for other countries near the equator? Please look over the list of Kiva field partners at www.kiva.org/partners so we can all become involved in speeding up the conversion to solar and/or renewable energy of the planet earth ASAP. If you are not sure what Kiva entails, please refer to my kiva post at http://sunisthefuture.net , http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=20120101
~Let’s all take part in making this world/planet a better place~
~have a bright and sunny day~
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net
Statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011:
· Even though a majority of the competition days were cloudy, seven out of the 19 houses produced more energy than they consumed
· 357,000 house visits were provided to the public during 10 days
· 92,000 votes were cast for the People’s Choice Award, more than five times the number of votes cast during the previous competition
· A new Affordability Contest was featured, demonstrating the reasonable cost of many energy-saving home improvement products and design solutions available today
· Approximately 4,000 collegiate students earned valuable experience by building an energy efficient house with peers in other disciplines, helping them prepare to enter the clean energy workforce
· Collegiate teams from five countries and four continents participated
Solar Decathlon 2011 teams that competed on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park:
Solar Decathlon 2011 Final Scores and Standings
1.
Maryland
951.151
2.
Purdue
931.390
3.
New Zealand
919.058
4.
Middlebury College
914.809
5.
Ohio State
903.938
6.
SCI-Arc/Caltech
899.490
7.
Illinois
875.715
8.
Tennessee
859.132
9.
Team Massachusetts
856.351
10.
Canada
836.423
11.
Florida Int’l
833.159
12.
Appalachian State
832.499
13.
Parsons NS Stevens
828.816
14.
Tidewater Virginia
774.910
15.
Team China
765.471
16.
Team Belgium
709.843
17.
Team New York
677.356
18.
Team New Jersey
669.352
19.
Team Florida
619.006
Solar Decathlon 2011 Individual Contest Winners
Affordability (Awarded Tuesday, September 27, 2011) Contest
Empowerhouse of Parsons New School of Design and Stevens Institute of Technology tied first place with E-Cube of Belgium’s Ghent University.
Empowerhouse of Parson New School of Design and Stevens Institute of Technology shines brightly at night after a stormy day
Stephen Scribner (front) accepts first place in the Affordability Contest on behalf of Parsons The New School for Design and Stevens Institute of Technology
and Team Belgium Ghent University’s E-Cube
visitors waiting in line to tour inside the finished E-Cube of Team Belgium Ghent University. This is the only entry of Solar Decathlon with second floor, essentially a building kit for a relatively inexperienced builder.
Belgium Toon Vermeir checks the tight competition stands online in the child’s bedroom on the second floor of E-Cube (but due to lack of handicap/wheelchair accessibility, the second floor was closed off to visitors)
tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the contest by constructing houses estimated to cost $229,890 and $249,568, respectively. New for the Solar Decathlon 2011, the Affordability contest encouraged teams to design and build affordable houses that combine energy efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems. A professional estimator determined the construction cost of each house. Teams earned 100 points for achieving a target construction cost of $250,000 or less. A sliding point scale was applied to houses with estimated construction costs between $250,001 and $600,000.
Appliances(Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Students from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign speaks with the Engineering Jury during judging
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Re_home shine brightly at night, with Washington Monument in the background
took first place and earned 99.955 out of 100 possible points by outperforming the other 18 houses in keeping its refrigerator and freezer cold, washing and drying loads of laundry during the contest week, and running a dishwasher during the competition. The Appliances Contest is designed to mimic the appliance use of an average U.S. house.
Architecture(Awarded Wednesday, September 28, 2011) Contest Maryland took first place in the Architecture Contest
University of Maryland became the first team to have an electricity meter installed
University of Maryland’s team members celebrate after being presented with First Place in Architecture Contest
and earned 96 points out of a possible 100. A jury of architects judged homes on the aesthetic and functional elements of the home’s design; integration and energy efficiency of electrical and natural light; inspiration and delight to Solar Decathlon visitors; and documentation including drawings, a project manual, and an audiovisual architecture presentation that accurately reflect the constructed project on the competition site.
Comfort Zone(Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest Ohio State University topped the contestants in the Comfort Zone Contest,
Ohio State University’s enCORE shines brightly at night
The Ohio State University team shows visitors the air supply system of their house, enCORE
with 98.652 out of 100 points for maintaining indoor temperatures between 71 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity below 60 percent.
Communications(Awarded Friday, September 30, 2011) Contest Middlebury College’s communications efforts,
Middlebury College’s Self-Reliance shines brightly at night after a stormy day
Middlebury College students pose for photo after accepting the first place award for Communication Contest
including communications plans, student-led tours, and team website, were judged by a jury of website and public relations experts, and won the contest with a score of 90 points out of a possible 100 points.
Engineering(Awarded Thursday, September 29, 2011) Contest New Zealand won the Engineering contest,
New Zealand’s First Light shines brightly at night
New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington celebrate after taking first place in Engineering Contest
which was evaluated by a group of prominent engineers, who determined which solar home best exemplified excellence in functionality, efficiency, innovation, reliability and documentation of its energy systems. New Zealand scored 93 out of a possible 100 points.
Home Entertainment(Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest Middlebury College earned 98.560 out of a possible 100 points in this contest, which required students to use electricity generated by their solar houses to run interior and exterior lights, a TV, a computer, and a kitchen appliance to boil water. Teams were also required to hold two dinner parties and a movie night for neighbors.
Middlebury College’s student Melissa Segil prepares a dish during a competition dinner party
Hot Water (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest Seven teams tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the Hot Water contest’s “shower tests,” which aimed to deliver 15 gallons of hot water in ten minutes or less. Of course, the water was heated by the sun. Tying for top honors in this contest were: Appalachian State University, University of Maryland, New Zealand’s Ghent University, Ohio State University, Parsons NS Stevens, SCI-Arc/Caltech, and Tennessee.
Chelsea Royall, front, Team Design Director of Appalachian State University, talks about her team’s house (The Solar Homestead) on Media Preview Day
New Zealand’s First Light’s dining room
Maryland’s Watershed clear view
University of TN’s Living Light shines brightly at night
Future homeowners of Empowerhouse of Parson New School of Design & Stevens Institute of Technology
rainbow seen between SCI-Arc/Caltech’CHIP (left) & Ohio State University’s enCORE(right)
Energy Balance (Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest
Seven teams tied for first and earned the full 100 points in the Energy Balance contest. Teams earned points for producing at least as much energy as their houses needed during the contest week. The teams accomplished this by balancing production and consumption. Tying for top honors in this contest were: Florida International,
Illinois, Maryland, New Zealand, Purdue, SCI-Arc/Caltech, and Tennessee.
Market Appeal(Awarded Saturday, October 1, 2011) Contest
Middlebury College won the Market Appeal contest, which evaluated whether the cost-effective construction and solar technology in a team’s design would create a viable product on the open market. Judges gauged market appeal based on three criteria: livability, marketability and constructability. Middlebury earned 95 points out of a possible 100 as judged by the professional jury.
More about the Solar Decathlon
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate students from around the world to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. The competition shows consumers how to save money and energy with affordable clean energy products that are available today. The nearly two-year projects culminated in an unprecedented display of affordable green living and design on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park from September 23 – October 2, 2011. The Solar Decathlon also provides participating students with hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean energy workforce, supporting the Obama Administration’s goal of transitioning to a clean energy economy while saving families and businesses money.
posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
If you are in favor of renewable, clean, or solar energy, please sign this petition for FIT/CLEAN Program, accessible at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065Thank you very much. We are at a critical juncture in human history when individual effort and participation in the transition into renewable energy age is desperately needed! Your signature will be very meaningful in helping all earthlings! For a summary of why we need to switch to power the earth with Wind-Water-Sunlight quickly, reasons are explained by Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson at http://sunisthefuture.net/?m=20110731 There are more than sixteen episodes of discussions on FIT (Feed-In-Tariff/CLEAN Program) available at http://sunisthefuture.net Please feel free to read/listen to them (type in feed-in-tariff in the search box at right).
Now, let’s resume our presentations for Solar Decathlon of 2011:
Ohio State University’s enCORE design was a design intended for a growing family. Upon entering the house, an open area provides the living room, dining room, and kitchen spaces. Then the expanded hallway connects the living space to the bedrooms doubling as an office. The central core (right outside of the master bedroom)controls all the mechanical systems in the house. Residents may use the IPhod to control the lighting and temperature of the entire house. There are many features that would help to reduce the energy cost: super-insulated walls, high efficiency windows, perforated panels providing shading, and the solar panels collecting enough power to run the entire house. There is also the sloped roof collecting rainwater, windows for much natural lights looking out onto the reflecting pond that collects rainwater and brings it to the bioremediation system (which is the plantings along the side of the breezeway), to be cleaned and reused. The full size bathroom is with recessed storage and a tub and shower. For the exterior portion of the house, there is a covered breezeway area that extends off of the living area inside the house so that the family can sit outside even when it is raining. So, it’s time for us to take a look at this efficient and flexible house, providing the needs of a growing family.–>
written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
