Louvers on Solar Home

Photo courtesy Kaye Evans-Lutterodt/Solar Decathlon

On this solar-powered home, oak louvers provide shading and privacy. The solar house was designed by students from the Technishe Universitat Darmstadt for the Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.

Students from the University of Darmstadt in Germany wrapped their solar house with wooden shutters. Louvers on the shutters had computer-controlled solar panels that tracked the path of the sun.