2009-10-16
The Solar Decathlon will be held on the Mall in Washington, D.C. this month. The decathlon is intended to challenge college students to build an eco-friendly house that has the most sustainable, beautiful, and efficient architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort zone, appliances, hot water, lighting, and energy balance possible. The house was on display at the New York State Fair this past September in Syracuse, NY.
Three MS&E students have been involved with the eco-friendly house named “Silo House”. Evan Ture, 2009, Victor Poiesz, 2011, and Liane Moreau, 2012 are three of the more than 150 members on the Cornell University Solar Decathlon Team, making it the largest student-run project on campus.
Moreau, assisted with tasks such as wiring and wiring diagrams, making junction box connections, and installing switches and outlets. Moreau states, "I found this to be an incredibly valuable experience, as I had no previous background in electricity, and yet learned how to completely wire a house."
Ture graduated in May 2009 from MS&E under the guidance of Professor Matthew Ulinski, (MAE). At Cornell, Ture focused on semiconductors and their improvements for computer chips. Now, he is applying knowledge of semiconductors to solar panels, using research provided by Professor Malliaras (organic solar cell) as a base, to assist the team in semiconducting as a way of improving solar efficiency. Ture is the team leader for all electrical engineering components on the “Silo House.” The technologies used include solar panels on the roof and evacuated solar thermal tubes on the siding, which concentrate light onto copper to heat the domestic water to 300 degrees. The warmed water runs through the house, and fans spread the heat from the tubing through the residence for heating. The “Silo House” has reduced the cost of electricity (just in heating and hot water) by 45%. The overall goal of the decathlon is to make solar powered homes more viable.