By ENERGY.GOV, via Wikimedia Commons
LED lights strategically placed in the base of the house and deck help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s solar-powered home illuminate at night during the lighting contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in the Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009.
LED lights strategically placed in the base of the house and deck help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s solar-powered home illuminate at night during the lighting contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in the Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009.
LED lights strategically placed in the base of the house and deck help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s solar-powered home illuminate at night during the lighting contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in the Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009.
LED lights strategically placed in the base of the house and deck help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s solar-powered home illuminate at night during the lighting contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in the Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009.
LED lights strategically placed in the base of the house and deck help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s solar-powered home illuminate at night during the lighting contest at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in the Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009.

WAC Lighting Sponsors 2017 Solar Decathlon

Aug. 22, 2017
The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

WAC Lighting, Denver, announced that it will sponsor this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. 

“The Solar Decathlon offers an extraordinary opportunity for educating the next generation of architects, engineers, builders and homeowners about the role that solid state lighting plays in modern sustainable home building, energy design and green construction,” said WAC Lighting President Shelley Wald. “As a responsible lighting company, we are extremely proud to support this competition which showcases forward-thinking students in their use of advanced technologies to create sustainable, energy efficient living strategies.”

The 2017 Solar Decathlon is being held in October in Denver, where 14 collegiate teams will create high-performance houses that reflect current market conditions, innovative building and the best in sustainable living. This year, for the first time, participating teams are eligible for cash prizes. Each team that successfully builds a solar house at the site and completes the competition will receive $100,000. The third-place finisher will receive $150,000, the second-place team $225,000, and the first-place team will receive $300,000.

In addition to WAC Lighting, current sponsors include Wells Fargo, Schneider Electric, Panasonic, Westin Hotels, Danby, Beko appliances, US DOE, EPA among others. Previous sponsors include Tesla, Target, BP and Pella Windows.