Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Darmstadt über Alles
10/22/2007
In a competition that will surely serve as the plot for a future Broken Lizard film, Technische Universität Darmstadt this weekend won the overall 2007 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. Darmstadt was the sole German team in the international collegiate competition, which included teams from 17 American universities and one each from Spain and Canada.The Solar Decathlon pits student teams against one another to "design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house." Students build houses that must be powered entirely by solar energy. Teams competed in the categories of architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort, appliances, hot water, lighting, energy balance, and "getting around."
Darmstadt won the Architecture, Lighting, and Engineering competitions and also took overall first place for the team's "Passivhaus" ("passive house," for those of you whose mastery of German is not as sophisticated as mine). The haus emphasized technologies made or developed in Germany by companies like Bosch, which, according to the DoE, provided internships for two of the team members.
Partial interior of the Technische Universität Darmstadt's Passivhaus. Photo: Kaye Evans-Lutterodt/Solar Decathlon.
The Passivhaus was designed to meet the standards set by Passivhaus-Instituts with "a maximal annual heating demand of 15 kWh/m²a" and "total primary energy demand ... smaller than 120kWh/m²a," according to the team's site. The team said it expects the haus to be certified following its final installation in Darmstadt.
The University of Maryland took second place overall, winning first in the Communications competition and taking second in Architecture, Market Viability, and Lighting. The team also tied for first (with six other teams) in the Energy balance competition. Maryland's "LEAFHouse" featured a transformable interior, an indoor waterfall (for humidity control), and a Web-enabled sensor network for monitoring and controlling the house's environmental comfort.
U Maryland's LEAFhouse. Photo: Kaye Evans-Lutterodt/Solar Decathlon.
Santa Clara University came in third place overall and tied for first in Hot Water (with four other teams) and Energy Balance. Santa Clara created a "Ripple Home" (referring to the "ripple effect" in spreading the word about solar energy). It used sensors to measure interior and exterior conditions and adjust comfort levels with maximum efficiency.
Other teams participating in the Solar Decathlon included Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Georgia Institute
Recommended Reading
- College of Southern Nevada Implementing Angel To Run Online Courses
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN), a community college in Las Vegas with 41,000 students, has adopted the Angel Learning Management Suite (LMS) to support its online course offerings. In Spring 2008 CSN began evaluating alternatives to WebCT, which it currently runs, and made the decision to adopt Angel in the fall. In January 2009, CSN's 865 sections of online enrollment will be delivered using the Angel LMS.
- Toshiba Brings DisplayLink to Docking Station
Toshiba has introduced a new USB docking station that incorporates DisplayLink--a technology that allows computers to connect to projectors and other types of displays through USB 2.0.
- Mitsubishi Ships SXGA+ Projector with DICOM Simulation
Mitsubishi has begun shipping a new LCD-based SXGA+ projector aimed at higher education, specifically medical schools. The new MH2850U, according to Mitsubishi, is "specially engineered for projecting DICOM simulation images for use in medical education and training."
- First Look: Komodo IDE 5.0
Last month, ActiveState released Komodo IDE 5.0, the company's latest integrated development environment (IDE). Komodo supports multiple programming and markup languages, including HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Java, Python, C++ and more. It does not support some .NET languages at present, such as ASP/ASP.NET, C# and VB.NET.
- IBM Offers Cloud Computing Help
IBM last week announced consulting services specifically designed to help organizations assess their options in using cloud computing technology. "Cloud computing" is a much argued term, but it typically refers to solutions delivered over the Internet, rather than via customer premises-installed software.
- Hollins U Chooses Omnilert for Emergency Notification Ahead of VA Deadline
Hollins University, among other higher ed institutions in Virginia, has implemented Omnilert's e2Campus emergency notification system (ENS) just ahead of a state-mandated deadline requiring them at every public institution of higher education by Jan. 1. Hollins itself isn't a public campus, but wished to implement an ENS before the end of the year, the school said in a company statement.
