The University of Colorado at Boulder will be one of three schools featured in an in-depth look at the 2007 Solar Decathlon competition by the Discovery Home Channel/Planet Green network.
The one-hour program, called Solar Showdown, will air Monday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. MST and again at 9 p.m. MST on the Discovery Home Channel, a digital cable-only network. The show is expected to air three more times on Dec. 18 and is part of a preview of the new Planet Green network, which will replace Discovery Home in early 2008.
Solar Decathlon teams from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland are featured in the program as well as CU-Boulder.
Scott DeGraw, the programs producer and director, began filming during the intense four-month building period leading up to the competition, which was held Oct. 12 to Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C.
The program is a great look at the hard work and dedication of the students on the Solar Decathlon teams. It really struck me that, for everyone involved, this was not just about doing well in the competition, but about getting the message across that this is a viable way of changing our impact on the planet in a very, very positive and direct fashion, DeGraw said.
Twenty university teams from Canada, Europe and the United States competed in the U.S. Department of Energy contest to design, build and operate the best home powered completely by solar energy. The CU-Boulder team placed seventh overall in this years standings.
The CU-Boulder home has been shipped back to Colorado and the team is taking steps to move and set it up on the universitys East Campus at 30th Street and Colorado Avenue, where it will be available for campus and public tours for about six months.
Additional funding is being sought for project completion and continued outreach activities; contact Pat Sullivan at (303) 492-7335 for information on making a donation.
The team Web site will provide tour information when it becomes available at solar.colorado.edu.