[Solar Schoolhouse] Fall Equinox -Solar Decathlon Webinars, Virtual Solar School Tours,...

[Tor at Solar Schoolhouse]

Solar Schoolhouse Class Notes

View in browser       Solar Schoolhouse Watt Trekker Rahus Institute   Fall Equinox 2020   Solar Decathlon Webinars  * National Solar Home & School Tour * Watt Trekker Decathlon series * Solar Art Contest for Students     Greetings! It's Fall Equinox and time for a change.  Here in Northern California we've been dealing and coping with wildfires and smokey skies, on top of issues related to the Pandemic. One coping mechanism is to try and look ahead, through the smoke, and imagine that we can shape a better future.  One of the ingredients of this better future are solar designed homes.  Over the years, we've followed the Solar Decathlon, a college-based solar home design competition that results in some amazing creations. In 2005 and 2007 we filmed the Solar Decathlon in Washington DC, creating a book and Film, which are available online. In 2013, the Solar Decathlon came to the West Coast, and we created Watt Trekker and created some short videos featuring many of the homes and their student designers. These resources are still online and available for your classroom. The Solar Decathlon (US Dept of Energy) continues today.  The organization is offering a series of free webinars through the year. See below for details.   Another opportunity to learn about solar homes AND schools is coming up soon with the National Solar Home & School Tour. details shared below.   Imagining a better future includes building better homes, and improving our exisitng ones, with passive solar features that reduce the need for heating & cooling, solar electricity that turns sunlight on our roofs into usable power inside, and electric cars that can power our homes during a grid outage. These features will become the norm, and we'll need to get even more creative to make our homes more Climate Ready and Resilient, ready for what lies ahead.   Looking Forward, - Tor     Innovative Homes, Energy Careers Featured in New Virtual Sessions Offered by Solar Decathlon Since 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® has inspired more than 450 collegiate teams and 23,000 students worldwide. In addition to the focus on tomorrow's leaders, the Solar Decathlon has a foundational goal of providing educational programs and opportunities for the general public.   In September, the Solar Decathlon will start a new series of 10 virtual sessions with diverse topics ranging from tours of houses with innovative designs to residential energy usage to jobs in the energy sector. Offered at no cost, these webinars are available to the general public and particularly current and prospective homeowners; members of the real estate industry, educators; students and young professionals; home builders and renovation contractors, and others interested in viewing state-of-the-art homes.   During a traditional Solar Decathlon Build Challenge event, thousands would converge on the educational tents to learn more about these topics that were not offered elsewhere. Through these monthly webinars, virtual visitors' can have access to this exclusive content from the comfort of their homes. Below are additional details on each planned webinar. To Register for any of these please visit this link   Discovering Clean Energy Careers Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 1-2 p.m. ET The transition to a clean energy economy is changing the way we do our jobs - and creating new ones. Meet people in a variety of careers who are making our buildings and communities more efficient and sustainable. Learn what their jobs are really like and what education and experiences helped them land their roles.   A Virtual Hands-On Energy Workshop for Families Wednesday, November 18, 2020 1-2 p.m. ET The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project will facilitate a virtual workshop to help families understand how energy is used in their homes, find ways to reduce energy waste, and understand options for integrating renewable energy in the home. NEED began as a one-day celebration of energy education when National Energy Education Day was recognized by a Joint Congressional Resolution.   Solar Student Leaders of Tomorrow Showcase Wednesday, December 16, 2020 1-2 p.m. ET A unique partnership between the Science Museum of Virginia and Secure Futures Solar, called Throwing Solar Shade, casts new light on combining project-based learning with science and rooftop solar power. High school students from urban and rural Virginia schools will present their research projects and findings.   Resilient Home 411: Strategies to Weather and Recover from Natural Disasters Wednesday, January 20, 2021 1-2 p.m. ET What does resilience mean for a home? A nationally renowned expert shares best practices for leveraging energy efficiency, renewable energy, and good planning to help your home better withstand and bounce back from natural disasters.   Zero Energy Ready Homes: New and Growing Fast Wednesday, February 17, 2021 1-2 p.m. ET Zero Energy Ready Homes are homes designed to offer a superior homeowner experience. These homes live better, work better, and last longer. The DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program combines the best of building science with the latest technologies and systems, innovative building practices, and risk management solutions to offer homeowners complete peace of mind.   The Future of Solar: A Tour of Cutting-Edge Solar Research with the U.S. Department of Energy Wednesday, March 17, 2021 1-2 p.m. ET DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Office takes you on a tour of their coolest research projects: farming under solar panels, super powered concentrating solar technology, community solar developments, and technology innovations for utility-scale solar.   Solar Decathlon Build Challenge Team House Tour Friday, April 16, 2021 1-2 p.m. ET As we kick off this year's Solar Decathlon Competition Event, DOE takes you on a virtual tour of innovative homes designed and built by student teams competing for the Solar Decathlon grand winner title.   Winning Solar Home - The DOE Solar Decathlon Build Challenge Winners Wednesday, May 19, 2021 1-2 p.m. ET Take a tour of the winning Solar Decathlon 2020 Build Challenge home and meet the student team that designed and built it! Learn about the innovative technologies and strategies that make this home stand out above the rest.   The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to design and build highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy. The Design Challenge is a one-to-two-semester, design-only competition, while the Build Challenge is a multiyear design-build competition. The most successful teams will complement architectural and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart on-site energy production. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon continues to “push the envelope” on the design of high-performance, efficient, affordable, innovative buildings while promoting student innovation, STEM education, and workforce development opportunities. Additional details are on the Solar Decathlon website. .     In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Solar United Neighbors and the American Solar Energy Society are preparing for an all-virtual National Solar Tour. We are excited to help amplify the power of solar energy, while making sure that our community of solar owners and supporters stay safe.   From September 28th to October 4th, hundreds of people across the nation will show off their solar homes, schools and businesses. During this week, solar owners and supporters will have a chance to connect, ask and answer questions, and participate in a nationwide virtual solar experience.  The Program Schedule is shown below. Click for a closer look and to RSVP to receive access to all Tours and Programs     Monday September 28 - Electric Vehicle Day EV Panel Tuesday, September 29 - Solar Homes Day Coffee Chat with Solar Owners All About Solar/Intro to Solar Going Solar with a Certified Installer | NABCEP Happy Hour with Solar Owners Wednesday September 30 - Solar Businesses Day Solar for Small Business Solar Businesses and Sustainability Panel Thursday, October 1 - Solar Schools Day A Brighter Future for Schools Through Solar Electrify Your Ride to School Students Lead the Charge for Solar Friday, October 2 - Community Building Day Policy Session | Community Solar Energy and Equity Panel Veterans Program | NABCEP Movie Screening Saturday, October 3 & Sunday, October 4 - Virtual Solar Tours     The Watt Trekker Series of videos highlighting the 2013 Solar Decathlon and iits student designers was made by Tor and his family using low tech tools (camcorder, wired microphone, Corel Studio editting tool), trying to share stories in a journalistic style.  We got our groove going by the 3rd Episode (Middlebury) when we were onsite at the Solar Decathlon Village in Irvine made up of  20 student built homes.  Our intent was to highlight the different study disciplines involved and potential careers, as well as the unique features of the homes.  We really didn't care who won, so you'll have to look elsewhere to find that information.  We also learned a lot about story telling, learning to adapt to interviewee's answers to your questions, and hopefully producing some engaging and inspiring stories.  There are also single episodes featuring the "mini Solar Decathlon" with Tiny Homes, in Sacramento (2016), and the Total Solar Eclipse in 2017.   Enjoy! watttrekker.org   Our 50 minute film highlighting the 2005 &2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington DC is viewable here.     Visit www.ases.org/kids-art-contest for more details.   About Solar Schoolhouse Class Notes   Solar Schoolhouse is a program of The Rahus Institute, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Education Energized by the Sun describes the mission of Solar Schoolhouse providing educators the tools for exploring the science and art of designing with sunshine, improving lives, and shaping a clean energy future.     This email was sent to energyfac...@googlegroups.com You received this email because you are registered with Solar Schoolhouse Class Notes (Rahus Institute). Visit solarschoolhouse.org/classnotes to learn more and to subscribe if you're not already subscribed to SSH Class Notes.   Unsubscribe here       © 2020 Rahus Institute