Recently, the finals of the 3rd Solar Decathlon China (SDC) started in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. Themed “sustainable development, smart interconnection, and public health,” the competition drew 15 teams from 29 universities and 10 countries to participate. This year is the first time that Zhejiang Normal University has made it to the finals. Additionally, other universities in Zhejiang participated in the finals as key competitors for the first time.

According to a live report from CCTV, “Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) is concerned about the future combination of rural and cultural tourism, a way that can produce economic benefit and can also be used for indoor planting.” The highlight of this competition was the assemblage of competitors from Tsinghua University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Loughborough University, and other famous universities from at home and abroad. Participating teams had to design and build green buildings that use clean energy as their source of power generation during the competition.

Principal Room: Homestay

The team “Field of Hope” at ZJNU, with more than 30 teachers and students majoring in business administration, applied economy, art design, urban and rural planning, environmental engineering, geographic environment and pollution control, intelligent transportation, etc., participated in the competition with their work of the “Natural Courtyard.” The team was organized by teachers and students from the School of Economics and Management and China-Africa International Business School.

In August this year, 15 competition teams gathered in Desheng Village, Zhangbei County, Zhangjiakou, where they built their dream house. After the competition, the well-built entries will become a sustainable ecological demonstration micro-community, serving the Beijing-Zhangjiakou 2022 Winter Olympics and the construction of the Zhangjiakou National Renewable Energy Demonstration Zone, and promoting sustainable development.

The Solar Decathlon event was first held in Washington, D.C. by the United States Department of Energy in 2002 and has been successfully held for twelve sessions. The Solar Decathlon, known as the solar architecture “Olympics,” is a practical creation competition for college students worldwide. The competition requires each university that participates to design, build, and operate a high-performance and full-scale house that uses solar energy. The competition not only embodies the concept of low-carbon footprint, but also shows the public the application of solar energy and building integration, an effective way to popularize awareness regarding solar energy and solar technology. (By Ye Mengyao, translated by Zhang Jiajia, edited by Kendra Fiddler)