Comments on: Solar Decathlon 2009 http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/10/16/solar-decathlon-2009/ Explore science, nature and environment stories from Northern California and beyond with KQED’s multimedia series Thu, 24 May 2012 05:51:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jim Gunshinan http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/10/16/solar-decathlon-2009/#comment-12240 Jim Gunshinan Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:33:18 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=3918#comment-12240 This just in! The Germans have won again! (An herbalist once told me to buy herbs from the Chinese and machines from the Germans—makes sense.) Illinois came in second, our Great State of Team California came in third, and our Canadian neighbors, Team Ontario/BC, finished fourth. It must have been the solar electric panels that formed the entire outside wall of the German house that pushed them over the top to win. The PV panels are encased in evacuated plastic so that they provide insulating value as well as electricity. The German team earned the maximum 150 points in the net-metering category. Team California only earned 100 points in that category. A tour guide at the German house told me that the house generates 100-150 Watts of electricity, from the mostly-in-shade north face of the house, even with overcast skies! No wonder Germany is the number one producer of solar electric power in the world. This just in! The Germans have won again! (An herbalist once told me to buy herbs from the Chinese and machines from the Germans—makes sense.) Illinois came in second, our Great State of Team California came in third, and our Canadian neighbors, Team Ontario/BC, finished fourth.

It must have been the solar electric panels that formed the entire outside wall of the German house that pushed them over the top to win. The PV panels are encased in evacuated plastic so that they provide insulating value as well as electricity. The German team earned the maximum 150 points in the net-metering category. Team California only earned 100 points in that category.

A tour guide at the German house told me that the house generates 100-150 Watts of electricity, from the mostly-in-shade north face of the house, even with overcast skies! No wonder Germany is the number one producer of solar electric power in the world.

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