Team New York's house appears ready for public tours on Tuesday. (Department of Energy photograph)

Which Solar Decathlon House Is Your Ideal Home?

ByChristina Nunez
September 21, 2011

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a bi-annual competition among collegiate teams to build solar-powered houses, opens to the public this Friday in Washington, D.C. Twenty teams from around the world will compete in 10 contests including architecture, affordability, home entertainment, and energy balance.

The sustainable technology in the competing houses makes them interesting, but the designs make them just plain fun: Check out the University of Tennessee’s walkthrough for a super-clever approach to small-space living and the funky exterior of the SCIArc/Caltech house.

Even more fun, Planet Forward has created a matchmaking quiz (Firefox or Chrome recommended) so that you can see which decathlon entry would be most interesting to you based on your personality and lifestyle. You can also see videos from all of the teams.

House construction in the capital’s West Potomac Park is currently under way, and awards will be handed out Oct. 1.

Take the Quiz: Which Solar Decathlon House Is Your Ideal Home?

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