Winning Solar Home

Photo courtesy Kaye Evans-Lutterodt/Solar Decathlon

Students from Technische Universitat Darmstadt designed the winning solar home for the Solar Decathlon in Washington DC. The school placed first in architecture, lighting, and engineering.

Inside their louvered solar home, the German students used a special wallboard containing paraffin. During the day, the paraffin (wax) absorbed heat and softened. At night, the wax hardened, releasing the heat.