President Gee to dedicate Solar Decathlon House at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

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Solar Decathlon House at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is enhancing its North America exhibit with the addition of the Ohio State Solar Decathlon House, an energy-efficient solar house that will allow Zoo visitors to see up-close the design and workings of a solar powered home. Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee and Columbus Zoo President and CEO Dale Schmidt will dedicate the unique sustainable home at 5:30 p.m. Monday (9/27) at the Columbus Zoo, 4850 West Powell Rd., Powell, Ohio.

Zoo visitors are first introduced to the concept of solar power at Habitat Hollow near the entrance to the Zoo’s North America region, where other ways to minimize impact on animal habitats such as recycling, organic gardening and wind energy are highlighted. The journey continues to the Solar Decathlon House, which was designed and constructed using materials readily available to the general public. Its compact use of space and multi-functional room design will allow Zoo visitors to see the possibilities of a solar-powered sustainable home of the future. The Solar Decathlon House sits at the entrance to the Zoo’s new Polar Frontier attraction, enhancing the connection for visitors about the benefits of reducing our carbon footprint and continuing the message that everyday choices can save environments for animals.

Ohio State students designed and built the home in 2009 as part of the Solar Decathlon, held every other year in Washington D.C., where student teams from 20 universities around the world are selected to compete by designing and building the most energy-efficient home. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is designed to educate student “decathletes” – the next generation of engineers, designers, architects and communicators – about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy and green building technologies, and to demonstrate to the public the potential of zero-energy homes, which produce as much energy as they consume. Ohio State’s Solar Decathlon House placed in the Top 10 at the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition.

The Decathlon gets its name from the 10 required areas of competition. For 2011, those areas include architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort, appliances, hot water, home entertainment, affordability and energy balance. Each home is required to produce enough electricity and hot water to perform all the functions of a home, from powering lights and electronics to cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and entertaining visitors.

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CONTACT:
Gina Langen, Ohio State College of Engineering, langen.2@osu.edu, 614-688-4423
Patty Peters, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Patty.Peters@columbuszoo.org, 614-645-3411

Categories: CollegeResearch