The last stage of the competition Solar Decathlon Europe, begins today, September 13, and will take place at Casa de Campo in Madrid (Solar Village). We have chosen this location for a uniform sunlight during the day, the beautiful surroundings and easy access by public transport.
For the first time in the competition's Solar Village will be powered through a power grid "intelligent" or "smart grid". Through this grid and using technology information will optimize the production, distribution and consumption of electricity in order to better balance supply and demand between producers and consumers.
The competition will include 20 proposed from 15 different countries, eleven of which are European in addition to the other four from China, Japan, Brazil and Egypt. During the final stage of the competition each team has to ride home and will be submitted to ten proofs that will determine which one is the winner of the 2012 and consisting of:
*Architecture, 120 points; An attractive design, which blends comfortable and functional spaces with
bioclimatic technologies and strategies to reduce the energy consumption of the house, is sought. In this contest, a jury of renowned architects will visit all the houses.
*Engineering and Construction, 80 points; In this contest, the systems used by the teams to build their houses are evaluated. Not only their design and on site implementation are considered,
but also the advisability of their choice. A jury shall review technical teams like the structure, facade, envelope..
*Energy Efficiency, 100 points; the competition lays emphasis on the fact that the teams meet the needs of the occupants of the houses by using as fewer resources as possible.
*Electrical energy balance,120 points; The difference between the production and the consumption of energy during the competition period in Madrid is analyzed
*Comfort conditions, 120 points; In this contest, the capacity of the houses to keep the appropriate conditions (temperature, humidity, acoustic performance, air quality and lighting) so that the occupants are comfortable will be assessed.
*House functioning,120 points; The aim is to check that some daily tasks, such as the use of household appliances, electronic devices, hot water production or simply inviting some friends for dinner, can be normally carried out.
*Social-Economic,80 points; This contest evaluates the ability of the teams to communicate to the public the main concepts which inspire the competition, as well as the ideas in line with those which can be found in the houses, both during the design process and during the public exhibit tours to the Villa Solar.
*Industralization and market viability,80 points; In this contest, the possibility that the house designed for the competition by the teams can be successfully used in the housing industry is evaluated. Some of the factors considered are: the market appeal of the product, the
production costs...
*Innovation, 80 points; The jury will evaluate whether the teams have offered innovative solutions in any field, from architectural ideas to the development of new materials or systems.
*Soustainability, 100 points; This contest takes into account the environmental impact of the house throughout its ‘life cycle’, Most of those impacts are linked to the use of natural resources and with wastes production
Date: September 13 to September 28, 2012.
Venue: Solar Village, Puerta del Ángel stage in Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain. Av. de Portugal s/n. 28001. Madrid, Spain.
