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University of Minnesota Team Advisor Jay Denny takes a moment after working on his team's house for 29 hours straight during the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2009.

(Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

The University of Minnesota has sent a design team to the National Mall in D.C. to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's "

."  The goal of the decathlon is to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

The decathlon takes place October 8-16, and the teams are scored based on their performance in ten contests, including architecture, market viability, lighting design, hot water, and home entertainment.

According to the DOE's website, as of this writing the University of Minnesota team is in 7th place. However, 

has published photos of the team submissions, with a place for readers to vote. On that poll, the University of Minnesota is currently ranked in first place. It's gonna be a nail biter...

You can find out more about the decathlon in this article from the 

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

Author

A design team from the University of Minnesota has built a solar-powered house, and is hoping to win an award for it.

The Solar Decathlon is underway, and the competition is hot

Go Deeper.

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