SOUTHFIELD – Students and recent graduates of Lawrence Technological University are rushing to complete construction on their solar-powered, energy-positive house in time for the Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in October.
They have designed and built a house with nearly 700 square feet of living space that will use the sun to generate all the power needed for heating, cooling, lighting and appliances ? with some left over to operate a small electric vehicle.
Two open houses supported by NextEnergy, a nonprofit that promotes the development of alternative energy technology in Michigan, will be held Friday, Sept. 14, and Friday, Sept. 21, from 4:30-8 p.m. at Lawrence Tech?s campus, 21000 West Ten Mile Road in Southfield.
Shortly thereafter, the house will be taken apart, shipped to Washington and then reassembled for the Oct. 12-20 Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy.
?The team at Lawrence Tech has built a quality sustainable home that is both economical and earth-friendly. The thinking that went into this structure is frankly astounding,? said NextEnergy President and CEO Jim Croce. ?This is an amazing achievement for this internationally recognized student competition and is further evidence of Lawrence Tech?s academic strength in the alternative energy sector.?
Lawrence Tech?s Solar Decathlon team has also received major sponsorship contributions from Denso International, Masco Corporation Foundation and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights.
The field of 20 Solar Decathlon competitors includes teams from MIT, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Germany, Spain, Canada and Puerto Rico. Lawrence Tech is the smallest university in the competition and the only one from Michigan.
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