Solar Housing: 100% Sun Power

Every two years the U.S. Department of Energy challenges twenty collegiate teams to design, build and operate the most attractive, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. This event is called the , and was most recently held at the in Irvine, CA.

Our friend Jonathan Sanders from the Missouri Human Powered Vehicle Team, a team previously sponsored by Coastal Enterprises, let us know about the groundbreaking entry built by his co-eds with the Missouri S & T Solar House Team. Titled “Chameleon House”, it was designed to adapt to its environment and transform to meet the needs of its occupants.

 

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According to Missouri S & T Solar House Team Leader Emily Vandivert, “Our most unique feature with the Chameleon House was implementation of a complete Home Automation System, designed and built entirely by us. For example, our Home Automation System will pick the most efficient method of cooling the house automatically – be it opening the windows on its own or turning on the AC, the system will calculate the energy efficiency of each and choose the best method for the situation.”

Over 60 students from Missouri S & T collaborated to build “Chameleon House”, which is 100% solar powered. In addition to the students, a team of faculty advisors also assisted with the design and construction. With a project budget exceeding $500,000, this is more than just a school project – the house is designed to act as a model for the houses of tomorrow. Visitors are also able to tour the house year-round in Rolla, MO, to promote energy-efficient living and gather ideas to use in their own homes.

More info about the Missouri S & T Solar House Team can be seen at: http://solarhouse.mst.edu/index.shtml.

This video shows an impressive time-lapse of the construction of “Chameleon House”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuWOHbPrytY

Be sure to also check out the virtual walkthrough: