Sun Is The Future

Dear Readers,

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=1065 Thank you very much.

Now, let’s return to Solar Decathlon of 2011. For the Engineering Contest of Solar Decathlon of 2011, each house was evaluated by a group of prominent engineers on the basis of energy efficiency savings, creative design innovations,  the functionality and reliability of each system, and documentation.  “Innovative engineering that maximizes energy efficiency in a home is the heart of the Solar Decathlon,” said Richard King, director of the Solar Decathlon for the U.S.Department of Energy.  “The impresseive houses designed by this year’s collegiate teams all have practical applications that can help every American family save money.  This year’s houses are proving to be highly reliable, which is a testament to their engineering excellence.”

New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington’s First Light, scored 93 out of a possible 100 points, took first place in the Engineering Contest.

New Zealand's First Light house after a stormy day, shines brightly at night

Team members from New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington celebrate after taking first place in Engineering Contest

New Zealand team members work to assemble their First Light house

First Light, Victoria University of Wellington’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 entry is inspired by the traditional New Zealand holiday/vacation home, “Kiwi bach”.  First Light’s design reflects a relaxed lifestyle in which socialization and connection to the outdoors are central to living.  There is a triple-glazed skylight and large bi-fold doors at the central section that functions as a bridge between exterior and interior.  A cedar canopy supports the solar array, which produces hot water and generates energy to power the house.  Custom built furniture in the living room can transform to accommodate overnight guests.  An innovative drying cupboard that dries clothes quickly by pumping solar-heated hot water through a heat exchange. Another interesting feature of this house is the use of recycled sheep’s wool as insulation.  Although First Light is inspired by a vacation home, it is already sold/intended as a permanent residence for a New Zealand couple.

SCIArc/Caltech (The Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology) ‘s CHIP received second place in the Engineering Contest with 91 points.

CHIP of  SCI-Arc/Caltech offers a solution to the challenges of home ownership and energy consumption for those living in the Los Angeles area. It is an affordable dwelling with a small footprint that can be used as infill or placed in zoning that accommodates shared lots. One finds a vinyl-coated fabric mesh that protects the house and contains the “outsulation” that envelopes the structure. An interior stepped in multiple levels that distinguish one level from another without compartmentalization. 3-D camera that track movement in the house and adjusts the lights accordingly.  A custom iPad application that displays real-time energy use, controls the shade, and provides instant feedback. I was quite intrigued by the fact that one can simply point/wave in the direction for the lights or movie screen to be turned on or off .

students of SCI/Arc-Caltech (CA Institute of Architecture and CA Institute of Technology) received 2nd place in Engineering Contest

SCI-Arc/Caltech at night after a stormy day

SCI-Arc/Caltech's iPad app to control wirelessly the lights, shade, and entertainment system

The University of Tennessee’s Living Light  took third place with 90 points.

University of Tennessee's Living Light shines brightly at night after a stormy day

Students from the University of Tennessee work on Living Light's eco-friendly landscaping

sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

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Dear Readers,

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=1065 Thank 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 return to our report of Solar Decathlon of 2011.  The SCI-Arc Caltech’s CHIP (Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype) house is a net zero, solar powered home designed for LA area, that started with a platonic cube of 600 sq ft, but stretched/lengthened that gave it a N-S orientation. Then the nose of the South end descends to increase the roof’s sun exposure while in the North end of the building  lifts to create a car port beneath the building (as though the North side reaches for the sky while the South side descends toward the ground).  A unique feature of CHIP is its outsulation, such that its exterior insulation creates a continuous shell of insulation so to minimize thermal bridging through structural members and additional low cost coated skin, vinyl, wrapped around the building, providing a rainscreen that unifies the building into one form. Extending from South, East, and West faces of the building are ADA accessible ramps and terraces.  Upon entering the house, one meets the kitchen with optimal work space and appliances carefully chosen for their performance and energy use monitored by a smart meter (to optimize its energy efficiency and cost).  Another interesting feature of the CHIP house is its division of rooms based on level changes rather than compartmentalizing rooms by isolating spaces.  Furniture are made from recycled nontoxic material.   Solar array on the roof is the full generator for this project.  Now, let’s take a good look at this unique design that may change our future generations’ view of what a home should look like.—>

written and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com

Homepage:  sunisthefuture.net sunisthefuture.com sunisthefuture.org

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