College of Engineering students and faculty spent eight weeks in China this summer collaborating with counterparts from Xi’an Jiaotong University of China and Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, to compete in the Solar Decathlon China 2018 competition.
Integrating advanced solar energy utilization technology, 2018 Solar Decathlon China was jointly held by the China National Energy Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the China Association for Overseas Industry Development. Twenty collegiate teams from 10 countries were selected to compete. The competition was held at at Dezhou City, Shandong Province with the theme of “New Town. New Energy.” The competition challenged student teams world-wide to develop a community of sustainable houses. With the goal of developing technology to lower green house gas emissions, organizers hope the competition will drive the growth in Dezhou's renewable energy manufacturing industry, smart grid and power industry, building industry, electric vehicle, industry, and vast home appliance industry. Following the competition, the houses will be open for educational purposes and then sold to families to build a new community.
“Our team came in 14th overall and was placed first in the Commuting Contest, where student decathletes had to operate an electrical vehicle and simulate real world driving and charging conditions throughout the contest period,” said Dr. Kenneth Lee, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who oversaw the University’s third Solar Decathlon team. “The competition provided a great international experience for our students.”
