Goodbye!

We warned you it was happening, and now the news is out: The 2013 Solar Decathlon, which has taken place in D.C. since its inception a decade ago, is off to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. At least the bright young things from Catholic University, George Washington University, and American University—who've made it [...]

After exploding with indignation at being kicked off the Mall, 19 entrants in this year's Solar Decathlon made it to West Potomac Park anyway, and were just putting the final touches on their high-tech houses when press stopped by this afternoon. They range from the totally traditional to the barely recognizable, but all will be [...]

Remember that whole brouhaha about the Solar Decathlon needing to move off the National Mall in order to preserve the grass? It ended up in West Potomac Park in late September, which seemed to mollify participants, who feared having to shlep to National Harbor. Next year, however, the Department of Energy is inviting bids for [...]

UPDATE, 11:00 a.m. – Decathlete spokeswoman Elisabeth Neigert called to clarify: Contra the E&E article, she hasn't actually heard that National Harbor is more likely than any of the other proposed alternatives (which include RFK stadium). Given that the Department of Energy isn't confirming or denying anything, and that Neigert and E&E seem to have [...]

If there was a way to make the solar decathletes booted off the National Mall even more angry than they already were, the National Park Service might have done it, by issuing permits to the National Book Festival to expand from one day to two–on the first weekend that the Solar Decathlon was supposed to [...]

My, the Solar Decathletes have been busy. Since we checked in last week, they've gotten 12 U.S. senators–11 Democrats and one independent–to sign a letter asking the Secretaries of the Interior and Energy to put their event back on the National Mall.
"This is only the beginning," promises organizer Elisabeth Neigert.

Bumped from the Nation's front yard, the teams competing in 2011's Solar Decathlon aren't leaving quietly.
Besides a petition drive that's now gathered over 6,000 signatures, there's now an organized campaign to get public officials to pressure–or force–the Departments of Energy and the Interior to reverse their decision to move the event in the interest of [...]

Trying to pin down funding for solar energy in the District is like wrestling a slippery fish: You think you have it, and then it jumps out of your hands again, forcing another round of pursuit.
Along with incentives from the federal government, a $3-per-kilowatt subsidy has brought rooftop solar energy systems within the reach of [...]

Yesterday, DCist passed along the news that the Solar Decathlon–the competitive annual event showcasing innovations in solar technology–was looking for another site this year, since the Department of Energy and National Park Service had decided that it would negatively impact the long-term health of the National Mall, which has hosted the event in the four [...]

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s home, image by afagen, Flickr Creative Commons
What happens to the Solar Decathlon houses after the competition’s over?
Team California’s so-called “Refract House” looks like it belongs high up in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Los Angeles.
The structure was easily one of the most gorgeous in this year’s Solar Decathlon competition, held recently [...]