Photo Credit: SolarDecathlon.org

Congratulations to Team Germany who has, for the 2nd time in 3 years, claimed the top spot in this year’s Solar Decathlon. Germany’s innovative home design took advantage of the power of solar energy and covered every side of the home with solar electric panels. The innovative designed squeezed out an 11.1 kW system which even took advantage of the north side of the building, a side that is not traditionally used in photovoltaic design. To see and learn more about the system check out the Solar Decathlon video profile below:

Helping push Germany over the top was their perfect net metering score! The building integrated and innovative solar energy system along with energy efficient features provided the boost Germany needed to surpass the runner Team Illinois.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Solar Decathlon participants. You did an amazing job with your projects and provide excellent examples of what solar energy can do to help families live powerfully in the new energy economy. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next year.

Image Credit: David DeFranza: Treehugger.com

The 2009 Solar Decathlon has taken over the National Mall in Washington DC. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Solar Decathlon, it is a competition with over 20 University teams from around the world working to design and build the most attractive and efficient solar homes.

For three weeks in October 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Solar Decathlon—a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.

If you have never seen some of the amazing homes that come out of the competition it is a great place to see some innovative, attractive and energy friendly home designs. We’ve included a few links to some photo galleries that help explain a little more about the homes.

http://www.solardecathlon.org/

http://www.treehugger.com

http://www.msnbc.com (note: msnbc uses dynamic pages and the content may change after posting)