91��ɫ

The Zoom presentations are over; the final scores have been tallied; and for now, a partially renovated 1950s era home sits quietly on South Race Street, marking the end of the Department of Energy’s 2020 Solar Decathlon competition.

For 91��ɫ students in the��, the process began and ended in the spring. The space between — three years. The Solar Decathlon was postponed last year due to COVID-19.

The biennial competition challenges students to build��efficient and innovative structures powered by renewable energy.

This represents the second time 91��ɫ has competed. ��For 2020, the 91��ɫ team aimed to do a Solar Decathlon first: a net-zero renovation of a single-family home.

According to a DOE analysis, more than 125 million buildings in the United States need retrofits to achieve President Joe Biden’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Faculty advisor Eric Holt, an assistant professor at the Burns School, helped the team navigate the real-world challenges of a renovation during a global pandemic. He calls the Solar Decathlon a living laboratory.

“That’s the beauty of the project. It’s messy. It’s hard. This is what contractors deal with every day,” Holt says.

Drew Shine, a senior in the Daniels College of Business, was one of the project’s leaders. As he sees it, the hands-on learning and the family atmosphere set 91��ɫ apart from other institutions.

“These kinds of projects are really where learning thrives, by not just learning in the classroom but really getting that hands-on experience and seeing where our education takes us,” Shine says. ��

The coronavirus pandemic added more complications into the mix: construction starting and stopping, social distancing on a job site, high turnover, lumber prices spiking and shortages in the supply chain.

“It’s a student project, but they’re dealing with all of the same things that they would deal with if they had taken on this project as a small business owner. It makes for a fantastic learning experience,” Holt says.

The 91��ɫ team finished ninth in the competition, but the team’s work will have long-lasting impact. As the first team to complete a renovation, 91��ɫ provides the DOE with an example to encourage more renovation projects.

“All of the judges were extremely encouraging of our vision to renovate existing homes,” Shine says. “It really spoke [to] the fact that it is one of the most important things you can do to make a green future and prevent the pollution during the demolition process.”

Although the competition is over, the 91��ɫ team still has work to do to finish the house. On April 23, 91��ɫ’s Earth Day of 91��ɫ-ing, students will once again fill the home to put the final touches on a vision three years in the making.