Places Sixth Overall in Tight International Competition
Nineteen teams. More than two years of work. Plenty of excitement, even in the early stages. And it all came down to 10 days of judging.
Team Ontario entered the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition with a goal of creating waves of change in the housing industry, envisioning a future where net-zero homes are a scalable reality throughout Canada and all over the world. A group of Algonquin College, Carleton University and Queen’s University students and employees designed and built a home (called Project ECHO), transported it down to Irvine, California, and reassembled it in time for the biennial competition, which began Oct. 2.
Early results had Team Ontario in the middle of the pack, slightly behind fellow Canadian competitor Team Alberta. The team consoled themselves with a best-of-three street hockey miniseries against the University of Calgary group, defeating them two games to one. (Photo)
With just two days to go in the competition, Team Ontario achieved some impressive results – second place in affordability, a tie for fourth in market appeal, a tie for first in hot water – and catapulted themselves into third place, just behind Team Stanford and Team Las Vegas.
The competition was far from over at this point. Results came in for communications, architecture and a few other categories, and Team Ontario gave up some ground. But just as other teams started to pull away, and with only minutes to go before the standings were finalized, Team Ontario pulled off a huge win in the highly coveted engineering competition.
The moment of truth finally arrived right around noon California time on Saturday – Team Ontario placed sixth overall, marking one of the best-ever showings by a Canadian team in the competition. It was also the top performance by a Canadian team in the 2013 competition, and the team was just a few points back of Ivy League competitor Stanford in what was one of the closest-ever Solar Decathlon competitions.
“On behalf of all team members and all three partner institutions, thank you to all of our supporters who contributed tremendously to this great showing at the Solar Decathlon competition,” said Richard Briginshaw, co-ordinator of Green Architecture at Algonquin and faculty representative on Team Ontario. “Team Ontario combined the technical knowledge and hands-on skills of Algonquin College students with the theoretical knowledge of Carleton and Queen’s University students, and this spectacular result shows what is possible when we work together.”
“Having started this project over three years ago and having the opportunity to work with such amazing and dedicated students has been nothing short of exceptional and inspiring,” said Cynthia Cruickshank, assistant professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Carleton’s Team Ontario faculty representative. “We set out a goal to put our engineering students on the international stage and today we accomplished this by winning the most coveted prize at the competition.”
“I am overjoyed with Team Ontario’s sixth place performance at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, and in particular our first place finish in the engineering competition,” said Chris Baldwin, Carleton’s project manager and student lead. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team and the effort that every member has put in over the last two years, from the initial proposal right through showcasing our house at Orange County Great Park these past couple of weeks.”
“It was an amazing joint effort between the three schools and we are all proud,” said Team Ontario Project Manager Karl Kadwell. “In eight and a half days we went from an empty lot to a fully functioning house. And we have five days to disassemble the house. To achieve that, it’s a team effort.”
“We are thrilled to have done so well in the competition and furthered the cause of sustainable housing,” added Jacob Morgan, construction manager for Team Ontario. “Participating in this competition has been a phenomenal experience and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to compete against the world’s best. Thanks to all those who supported us, including our schools and sponsors!”
The final standings can be seen here.
Team Ontario 2013 Results:
- First place in engineering
- Tied for first place in energy balance
- Tied for first place in hot water
- Second place in affordability
- Tied for fourth place in market appeal
Check out more photos from the competition on their Facebook page.
ECHO is a 940-square-foot, $300,000 home with a master bedroom, one bathroom, a multi-purpose room that can be used as an office or second bedroom, and a combined kitchen/living room/dining room. Designed to be ‘net zero’, the home utilizes various solar and energy efficient technologies to produce at least as much energy in a year as it will consume. Students began designing the building in the summer of 2011 by brainstorming its architectural appearance, running simulations and performing structural analysis. Construction began in September 2012 at Algonquin College’s campus in Perth, Ont., where the students were able to complete most of the main structure and conduct a test move. In May of 2013, it was relocated to Algonquin College’s Ottawa campus for completion.
About Team Ontario: www.ontariosd.ca
Team Ontario is a collaboration of over 100 students and faculty from Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College united by a passion to promote renewable energy and sustainable living. Our mission is to design a new standard for sustainable living for the next generation of young homeowners that revolutionizes the housing market and inspires our peers to demand sustainable, net-zero+ housing. Team Ontario is proud to be one of 20 collegiate teams from around the world to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
About the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon: www.solardecathlon.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate twenty collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The main purpose of the competition is to demonstrate that net-zero, solar homes are feasible, affordable, and desirable while also developing the next generation of building professionals.
Media Contact:
Kristen Balogh
Logistics Coordinator, Team Ontario
Ottawa Office
613-859-8120
kristen.balogh@ontariosd.ca
Amelia Cooper
Logistics Coordinator, Team Ontario
Kingston Office
613-533-6682
amelia.cooper@ontariosd.ca
Chris Cline
Media Relations Co-ordinator
Carleton University
613-520-2600, ext. 1391
613-355-0336
christopher_cline@carleton.ca