Team Alberta solar house named Borealis. Photo: Team Alberta Solar Decathlon 2013 Facebook.
UofC and Mount Royal students design, build solar house for Alberta climate
This weekend Calgary university students will unveil the solar house that they will be taking to California to compete in the 2013 Solar Decathlon.
The solar house is named Borealis and it’s an 84-square metre (904 square feet) home that is net-zero, which means it produces as much electricity as is consumed. Borealis is Team Alberta’s third entry in the international competition, which takes place Oct. 3 to 13 in Irvine, Calif.
Team Alberta solar house under construction. Photo: Team Alberta Solar Decathlon 2013 Facebook.
Team Alberta, comprised of 100 students from the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University, will host public open houses from 11 a.m. to 5 pm. on Saturday Aug. 17 and Sunday Aug. 18.
Borealis is equipped with solar photovoltaic panels, solar thermal tubes, sun tunnel skylights, an intelligent mechanical system and LED lighting. An energy recovery system stores excess energy to be used for dehumidification and heating.
There is also a “living wall” that detoxifies the air.
The home features private living areas for two people with a shared kitchen and bathroom. Because the structure consists of prefabricated modules, it is portable and easily transported.
“Borealis is a prefabricated, modular home that tackles the challenge of sustainable living in remote environments,” says Alexandre Ste-Marie, Team Alberta project manager.
“We designed Borealis to be flexible and accommodate the specific needs of the target market while operating in a challenging natural environment. The house is sleek and aesthetically appealing while striking a balance between simplicity, practicality and functionality.”
During the Solar Decathlon competition, teams will be judged in ten different categories: architecture, market appeal, engineering, communications, affordability, comfort, hot water, appliances, home entertainment and energy balance.
Interior of the Team Alberta solar house. Photo: Team Alberta Solar Decathlon 2013 Facebook.
Team Alberta will compete against Team Ontario (comprised of students from Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College), 16 teams from the United States, one from the Czech Republic and one from Austria.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate energy-efficient houses powered by the sun. Each team spends almost two years designing and constructing a house which will compete in 10 contests.
The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
Team Alberta is comprised of more than 100 students from a variety of disciplines at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.
In June, the multi-institutional partnership was celebrated with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the two provosts, Manuel Mertin from Mount Royal University and Dru Marshall from the University of Calgary.
“This project epitomizes what post-secondary education should be,” said David Docherty, president of Mount Royal University. “Borealis captures the imagination of students, engages them theoretically and practically and helps students develop specific and transferable skills. It’s an experience they will remember and talk about for years to come. For our two universities, this allows us to closely collaborate on a significant project and demonstrate the strengths of both institutions.”
“We are very excited to be participating in the 2013 Solar Decathlon competition with our colleagues from Mount Royal University,” said Dru Marshall, University of Calgary provost and vice-president (academic).
“This is a fantastic student-led and administrator-supported project that is interdisciplinary in focus. It integrates learning and research around key societal issues while providing students with applied learning and leadership opportunities. We wish the team all the best in the upcoming competition in Irvine.”
The project received support from a number of sponsors as well as government. Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY contributed $12,500 and the Province of Alberta contributed $200,000.
“When we bring together the resources and talent of our Campus Alberta partners, we know we can compete with the best,” said Thomas Lukaszuk, Deputy Premier and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education. “Our government is pleased to support Team Alberta. The Borealis home is a great example of made-in-Alberta solutions gaining international attention thanks to the ongoing collaboration between our province’s post-secondary institutions, research and innovation system and industry.”
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