Power shared in a city to scale

Once again, the equipment participants will have to design and build a sustainable house and autosuficiente that use like only source of power the sun. The development of these projects began in 2011 in his corresponding universities with the aim to arrive to the final phase of the competition that will celebrate of the 14 to 30 September in the stage Door of the Angel in the House of Field of Madrid, where the participants will build, in the enclosure of the Solar Villa, his house to real size and, along these two weeks will have to compete between them and surpass the ten proofs of the contest.

The Solar Villa will be opened to all the public, that will be able to visit the houses and know to hover the most leading technologies applied to the architecture. Besides, the visitors will have the possibility to participate, also of free form, in crowd of activities centred in renewable energies. There will be a space devoted exclusively to the boys so that they can know closely the advantages of a sustainable house.

The main aim of Solar Decathlon Europe is concienciar and sensitise to the citizens on the importance of the environingingment and the sustainability in the edificación; in addition to promoting the sustainable development through the investigation and the innovation applied to the architecture and efficient construction.

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 is organised by the General Steering of architecture, House and Floor of the Ministry responsible for public works, with the collaboration of the Polytechnical University of Madrid (UPM) and the City council of Madrid, with the support of the Department of Power of EE UU and the Idae. Besides, it has the sponsorships of Schneider Electric, like strategic sponsor, Kömmerling, and, like official collaborators Aena, Adif, Renfe, Ineco and Feve.

SDE Is official partner of the European Campaign of Sustainable Power of the European Commission. It was awarded in the European Prizes to the Sustainable Power of the EU of 2011.

During the ten days that lasted the competition in the edition 2010, also celebrated in Madrid, the solar houses participants produced the triple of power of which consumed. In total, produced 6.177 kWh, whereas the consumption was of 2.579 kWh and the excess power injected in the network so that they could use it the neighbours.

The Solar Villa 2010 no only succeeded regarding the production of power. More than 200.000 visitors could know the most innovative houses of the world in Madrid and participate in distinct activities for all the publics related with the renewable energies.

In 2012, steps more: the Solar Villa turns into a city to scale, where the power is shared. It will be also the place to develop innovative projects in the field of the electrical distribution.

For the first time in this competition, the houses will be connected to a 'intelligent network' or 'smart grid'. In addition to autoabastecerse, avoiding the derivative costs of the transport when being the same place the one of generation and consumption, the excedente of power produced manages to resupply to the Solar Villa, as for example in the electrolineras (points of recarga for electrical vehicles) or in the destined spaces to evento. The surplus of power verterá to the network for his public distribution.

With the 'smart grid' achieves manage the power produced and consumed in the Solar Villa, knowing in real time the specific data of each point, including the twenty prototypes participants in the competition.

In Solar Decathlon Europe will be possible to visualise the information of the Smart Grid in three different scales. It will show how it optimises the power of the network of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, of the Solar Villa and of each one of the houses.

By means of the intelligent networks, and using the technologies of the information, will optimise the production, the distribution and the consumption of the electricity with the end to balance better the offer and the demand.

The equipment will arrive to Madrid on 3 September, and will have 10 ten days to build his house, in the phase of construction. The Friday 14 September will begin the competition and each house will be subjected to 10 proofs that will determine which is the winner of the competition: the one who consummates the lower quantity of natural resources, and produce a minimum of waste during his cycle of life. The sum of the punctuations obtained in the ten proofs, until a maximum of 1.000 points, determines the winner of each edition.

Said evaluation realises in base to three systems: for completing tasks, by measurement in situ (objective evaluation) and awarded by juries (subjective evaluation).

SDE Has his origin in the American competition Or.S. Solar SOD Decathlon, created by the Department of Power of the Government of the EE UU in 1999.

The first edition of this competition took place in autumn of 2002 in the National Mall of Washington, D.C.. Fruit of the participation of the Polytechnical University of Madrid in the editions of 2005 and 2007, the Government of Spain signed a bilateral agreement with the one of United States to be able to develop it, for the first time, out of EE UU, under the name of Solar Decathlon Europe, in Madrid, in June of 2010, and in September of 2012.

A similar agreement to the American-Spanish took place in 2011 with the presentation of Solar Decathlon Chinese. Like this, the European edition celebrates in the years stop and the North American in the impares; from his première in 2013, SD China will take place with some months of difference with regard to US Solar SOD Decathlon.

Finally, the governments of France and United States signed the past 21 March the protocol of adhesion by which our neighbouring country will receive the third European edition of Solar Decathlon Europe in 2014. The Minister of French House, Benoist Apparu, and the ambassador of United States in France, Charles H. Rivkin, went the attendants to sign this protocol of adhesion by which the European competition will have his continuity changing the Madrilenian stage to Versalles, Paris.

The three competitions support in bases and common aims, but organise independently and present singular characteristics in reglamentación and proofs, adapting of this form to his own circumstances and context.

Accompanied by the mayor of Madrid, Ana Bottle, and by the vice-chancellor of the Polytechnical University of Madrid, José Manuel Páez, the minister has declared that“the aim of this competition is concienciar and sensitise to the citizens on the importance of the decrease of the environingingmental impact, and promote the sustainable development through the investigation and the innovation applied to the architecture and efficient construction”.

In front of the presence of more than a hundred of employers, politicians, ambassadors and other personalities of the university world, the minister has added that “Solar Decathlon Europe is pure investigation, thought from the University but with the end to arrive to the society”.

By his part, the mayor of Madrid, Ana Bottle, has resaltado the importance of the competition and the advantages of his new location. “Madrid wants to be the headquarters of this type of evento. With the celebration of Solar Decathlon Europe, Madrid will turn into the most significant exponent of sustainable construction, R&D and urban sustainability”.

The vice-chancellor of the Polytechnical University of Madrid (UPM), José Manuel Páez, has stood out the key paper of the UPM in the celebration in Madrid of Solar Decathlon Europe: “In time of crisis, the bet by the development of the technologies in the sustainable house wins points. It is an only opportunity. In Spain have professionals very ready that can do charge of this increasing market".