By David Kirby April 10, 2026
The UAB Solar House. © The University of Alabama at Birmingham
A pioneering collaboration between UAB Sustainability and Huffman High School is giving students hands-on experience in solar technology while expanding Alabama’s model for resilient, off-grid communities.
Students at Huffman High School in Birmingham are building a solar-powered tiny home — a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the University of Alabama at Birmingham aimed at preparing teens for careers in construction and renewable energy. The tiny home will connect to the university’s Solar House microgrid.
The UAB Solar House itself began as a competition entry for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Solar Decathlon. Designed and constructed by Alabama college students to maximize energy efficiency in Alabama’s hot, humid climate without sacrificing comfort, livability, and style, the 1,000-square-foot home is powered by the sun.
After the competition, the house was moved back to UAB’s campus where it was “islanded,” meaning it was not tied to the city’s electrical grid. Instead, it houses its own remote microgrid for energy storage.
The partnership between UAB Sustainability and Huffman’s Academy of Architecture to build the tiny house is part of Phase 2 of the Solar House and Sustainable Community project, which received funding from EBSCO (“Elton Bryson Stephens, Company”) in 2019. The project’s goal is to expand the off-grid solar-powered community and to model resilient, self-sufficient, and regenerative communities for the Southeast.
According to Bambi Ingram, Chief Sustainability Officer at UAB and the lead for both this project and The UAB Solar House, “The UAB Solar House and Sustainable Community demonstrates the potential for resilient technology to reshape communities. By training high school and college students to do this work, we are empowering the next generation to create spaces that work for them.”
The UAB Solar House’s backyard. © The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Through the partnership with Huffman’s Academy of Architecture, the project is providing critically important workforce development opportunities in Birmingham, where more than 25% of residents live in poverty. Huffman High School is the largest school in the Birmingham City Schools system, and serves a 98% minority student body.1, 2 Huffman’s students are learning practical skills that will pave the way for future success in fields like construction, solar installation, and electrical engineering.
According to their construction teacher Jacques Dean, ”Because of our partnership with the UAB Solar House, our students are learning to plan, design and install residential solar. That’s a valuable skill set and will make them even more competitive for jobs in the construction industry.”
Students in the Academy of Architecture program choose one of three pathways: Design and Preconstruction, Construction, or Maintenance and Operations. The academy opens the pathways to steady careers in countless fields, including drafting design, welding, electrical technology, heating, HVACR, carpentry, cabinetmaking, masonry, plumbing, and pipefitting. The program is affiliated with the National Academy Foundation (NAF), a leader in the movement to prepare young people for college and career success.
Bambi Ingram, Chief Sustainability Officer at UAB, says: ”We are looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to our community so that we can share our experience of what does and does not work in creating and managing off-grid projects. It’s an exciting collaborative venture that has the potential to be of great service to the region.”
Since 2021, the house has served as the center of UAB Sustainability’s Solar House and Sustainable Community project. It has functioned as a living lab and center of environmental education for residents of and visitors to Central Alabama. Countless K-12 groups, college classes, and local community groups and nonprofits have toured and used the space to engage in educational opportunities related to solar power, renewable energy,
and sustainability.
The Solar House and Sustainable Community is located at 1637 11th Ave S and is open to the general public for educational tours.
The tiny home is expected to be completed by March 2026 and integrated into the community by year’s end.
About the Author
David Kirby is a passionate environmentalist and sophomore BSW student at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. David works for UAB Sustainability as the coordinator of the UAB Solar House, which has participated as a site for the annual ASES National Solar Tour since 2021.