Guest Entry: Santa Clara Alumna

Published by
Nora Hendrickson
on October 16, 2007 | Solar Decathlon 2 Comments

I was visiting a friend in Washington Dc when I happened to stumble upon the Solar Decathlon and to my surprise and pride I saw that Santa Clara University was one of the only 20 universities present! I was later informed, by the glamorous Nora Hendrickson in her hard hat, that not only did they get through tremendous hurdles to get their house in Washington DC (the truck broke down somewhere in the midwest!) but they are also the ONLY school to represent the west coast (west of the rockies!) I invited myself on a tour of the house and bombarded Nora with tons of questions. She patiently answered every single one and showed me some of the GREAT and innovative things that Santa Clara was doing to promote “Green Living.” I was so proud of my school and everything that this group of students did to get themselves qualified for this event. The house looks AWESOME! Definitely one of the more attractive ones in the competition. If anyone has the opportunity to visit the site please do so. Its definitely worth a trip out there. Or you can log onto http://www.greenwire.com and read some articles on SCU Solar Decathlon there.

SCU students! I’m so PROUD and HAPPY that you guys represent such a great school! You should be very proud of yourself and all your accomplishments!

More in mind

Published by
Evan Sarkisian
on October 15, 2007 | Solar Decathlon 2 Comments

Today the team was hit hard by the architecture contest. We arrived to the site and Alberto told us the bad news- 18th place, 60 points behind the leader. After all the hard work and the immense amount of positive public responses, we had started to think the jurors would love our house. But their scores didn’t reflect a deep appreciation.

There are plenty of reasons I could come up with to justify their decisions- many of which comfort me –but I don’t think comfort makes the situation any better. It certainly wouldn’t get any more points on the board.

How to make the situation better? LOOK AROUND!

-We’re on the National Mall making history.

-THOUSANDS of people love our house. LOVE our house. I wish we could compile all the positive things people have said to the team and to their friends. It would be a massive list with some statements our team really needs to hear right now.

-THOUSANDS of people have already learned from our house. We are shaping their lives as well as the lives of the people they touch. We have served as conduits for the spread of public awareness about solar power and sustainability in general.

 

Yeah, we didn’t get a group of architects to fall in love with our project, I have to accept that. But how much should we value marks on a piece of paper, when compared with the great effect we are having on the world? I am personally incredibly proud of the work my team has accomplished, and every day my admiration for my fellow team members is strengthened.

Today our spirits were tested against the threat of defeat, and I saw a team more than capable. I watched as long faces turned up with dedication to a cause. Not one person gave up or lost a step. We tackled our tours with the energy and excitement our house deserves, we strategized for our next moves, and we even played improvisation games late into the night.

This competition is revealing each and every day of the fact that our education has shaped all parts of our beings. And our goals of reaching out and touching the public are succeeding on a daily basis—on a massive scale.

These are points that- no matter how hard you try – will never fit on a leader board.

All Systems are a GO!

Published by
Nora Hendrickson
on October 15, 2007 | Solar Decathlon 0 Comments

Today was the first official day of the Decathlon competition. It was an early morning starting at 7am at our house site. We prepared the appliances for their big debut as the main stars for the day. It was appliance test day.. our first test was at 8am and was a Water Vaporization test, which consists of boiling 5 pounds of water in a 3 hour time limit. We were able to boil off more than the 5 pounds in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Pretty exciting, considering that our cooktop is induction based, meaning that spinning magnets heat our pot and not the cooktop surface.

With one test down we were ready to attack the dishwasher test… this was an adventure. The wash started fine, except about 5 minutes into the test, water started leaking from under our sink…. not good! There was a small leak that turned into a big leak from where the dishwasher draining pipes connect to our waste water pipes. This did not affect the performance of the dishwasher test and we passed with flying colors. Our temperature inside the dishwasher reached above 130 degrees Fahrenheit (the required was at least 120 degrees).

There are two daily hot water tests in which we must produce 15 gallons of water at least 110 degrees Farenheit in 10 minutes. Our first test was close with our mean temperature being 110.6 degrees, after 6 minutes and 20 seconds we had filled a 15 gallon cooler. Our afternoon test was much quicker and our water reached a high temperature of 133 degrees with an average of 126 degrees, out total test time was about 6 minutes. To say the least, you can have a hot shower in our home very quickly.

We were awarded full points for each water test and are in a good position in terms of our competition for appliances. The Solar Decathlon Instrumentation team monitored our inside temperature of the house along with humidity, desk lighting and the temperatures of our refrigerator and freezer. All of the appliances seem to be working in sync and our temperature ranges are good. These tests are designed to show the livability of each house while also testing our appliances and monitoring systems. For now.. all systems are a go. We are hoping for another smooth day of appliance testing tomorrow as we will be washing and drying 12 towels for the first time.

Wish us well in all of our washes..

Busy/Fun/Busy

Published by
Evan Sarkisian
on October 11, 2007 | Solar Decathlon 4 Comments

The mall was buzzing today as we all excitedly put the finishing touches on our houses. The Santa Clara team was optimistic, and for good reason. We passed our final inspection, one of the first five teams to do so, and the culmination of all our hard work is approaching.

Meghan and I earned baller status today. We developed, planned and executed a great idea in the course of a day. Some of the other teams have these neat dislpays on the walkways up to their houses. We thought that would be a perfect addition to our house and we got them printed that day! We owe a great many thanks to Ken at Affordable Signs and Banners and his willingness to work with us.

We got the signs just in time for the Event Sponsors Tours. Meghan and I were clearly underdressed so we decided to check out the other houses. They were truly amazing. Some of the building integrated photovoltaic systems were cleverly designed, and made for some unique architectural features.

The BP hosted a large gala event for all the teams and event sponsors. We were wined and dined and told how awesome we are (which is pretty awesome). There was a live band and some of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time. The Comm. Team had to roll out early as we have a lot more work tonight before the public tours tomorrow.

Wish us luck

Amazement on Arrival

Published by
Evan Sarkisian
on October 11, 2007 | Solar Decathlon 0 Comments

After an extended visit (and by that I mean layover) in Dallas Fort Worth I finally arrived in DC, and I could smell the Solar Decathlon from the airport. When I stepped out of the metro BAM! there’s the Solar Decathlon fully pumping with energy (solar and young persons’). I can’t wait to meet all the other teams and hear their stories!

I got to our house and I was floored…bamboo floored! All puns aside, our team is amazing! You can see the hours of serious work they have all put into the ripple home. I walked inside and I thought “How can I trick them into letting me live here?” Now I have to try to earn my keep! I got long nights ahead of me, and I can’t wait.

I hugged and congratulated all the team members who made it all happen. Agustin told me how the house has been passing inspection after inspection with flying colors. All the hours of work and worrying have paid off! Tomorrow we face the fire inspection, and I think we’ve got it nailed.

We speak to representatives from Congress tomorrow…gotta get our game faces on.

-Evan Sarkisian

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