June 3, 2014
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and country of Colombia will collaborate to develop the first Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean competition, scheduled for Santiago de Cali, Colombia, in late 2015.
The Solar Decathlon is a competition launched by DOE in 2002 to challenge university teams to design and build affordable, innovative and highly energy-efficient solar- powered homes.
Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman said, “Building on successful international Solar Decathlons in Europe and China, the U.S. Energy Department looks forward to Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean— supporting a new generation of engineers, architects and energy entrepreneurs in Latin America while driving clean energy innovation and sustainable development worldwide.”
Colombia’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Amylkar Acosta explained, “Although we have a clean energy matrix, mainly hydro, we are working towards diversifying it by incorporating more renewable sources. We consider the Solar Decathlon a unique opportunity to generate incentives among our Latin American and Caribbean students to use their innovative skills to design buildings that are energy efficient and self-sufficient, contributing to national and regional sustainable growth.”