Middle East Technical University to race its solar-powered house

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

The model of a house designed by a Turkish university team for competetion.

A team of Turkish university students will compete among 20 teams from all around the world demonstrating their solar energy house designs at the Solar Decathlon China. 

The team, composed of Middle Eastern Technical University (METU) students, will present the house it designed and built with the intention of integrating traditional Middle Eastern houses and solar powered building during the competition, which will be held in China in July.

Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program traditionally organized by the U.S. Department of Energy for over 10 years to challenge collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive, and the event will be established in China for the first time this year.

Marking another first, the METU team will be the first Turkish team to win a place among 20 shortlisted teams.

“The house’s design stage is completed. Now we are counting the days to begin the construction,” Osman Baytaroğlu, the leader of Solar Decathlon Turkey Team, said.

The METU students’ house, which they named “eCOurt,” will meet all its energy needs through panels collecting solar energy on the top of the building and the insulation of the house will be made from discarded jeans.“In addition to the jeans’ high insulation value, it is an innovative solution; we plan to use them as an interior design element also,” Baytaroğlu said.

The house can be put together and taken apart in just one week. The team will construct the house first in Ankara, then they will disassemble it and send it to China by ship.