By HILLSBORO, Ore. | SOLAR WORLD USA–
SolarWorld is providing high-power solar panels and flush-mount Sunfix mounting systems to an American-German team competing in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2015.
The sponsorship is part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the company’s U.S. solar manufacturing.
Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), a leading provider of energy management technology and a SolarWorld strategic partner, is supplying a solar microinverter system to the team. SolarWorld and Revolve Solar, a SolarWorld authorized installer based in Austin, Texas, also are providing technical consultation.
Like SolarWorld, which has manufacturing operations and long industrial lineages in both the United States and Germany, the Solar Decathlon team combines American and German ingenuity. The team is comprised of students from the University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Technical University of Munich).
“What better way to celebrate the four decades of solar manufacturing of our American-German company than to sponsor an American-German team in the Solar Decathlon?” said Mukesh Dulani, U.S. president of SolarWorld. “Our company combines ingenuity from sites in both countries to lead innovation within the global industry. Therefore, it only makes sense for us to support the efforts of a team representing solar innovators of the future from both countries.”
This year’s Solar Decathlon, which takes place October 8-18 in the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., brings together engineering, architecture and other participating students from 17 university teams. The biennial contest “challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive,” according to the DOE. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”
The team’s NexusHaus design is intended to “address the nexus of challenges concerning energy, water, food and population growth,” says Charles Upshaw, captain and project engineer of the NexusHaus Solar Decathlon team. “NexusHaus addresses these issues through an accessory dwelling unit that can be placed in the literal back yard of a residential lot in Austin to operate as a low-impact unit of resource production, rather than consumption.”
“The team is delighted to receive support from an American-German company that is doing just what we are doing in the Decathlon: joining forces to produce better outcomes,” says Ryan McKeeman, co-captain and sponsorship lead of the NexusHaus team. “With this sponsorship, we have the support we need to build a solid entry with lasting impact.”
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