As a non-DC guy, I’m continually amazed at the hard work being done within Executive Branch agencies by folks who get little credit and little pay for doing big jobs that mean big things for this country. It’s been eye-opening to watch passionate people break through Sisyphusian environments to accomplish Herculean feats.
 
One of those feats is the Solar Decathlon, conceived, produced and executed from within the Department of Energy to become the premier public showcase in the world for solar technology, energy efficiency, green building and much more.
 
Ironically, I probably shouldn’t mention DOE’s Solar Decathlon unsung heroes by name in this post; most are way too modest to be comfortable with a shout out, and federal government agencies frown on spotlights being placed on the folks who work behind the scenes (notice that you’ll usually only hear from political appointees, not career ‘Gs’).
 
I’m writing about the Decathlon at this time because we’re less than a year away from the next event, which begins October 9th on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I’ve waited until after the election to write this post (lest anyone think it was a politically-oriented article)  which I’ve wanted to upload since October (the 1-year countdown).
If you’re unfamiliar with the event, it goes something like this: 20 university teams from around the country (and some international contestants) work for two years to design and build highly energy efficient houses powered only by renewable energy. They bring their designs and materials to the National Mall and, within a few days, build a mini city that showcases the best in design, materials, appliances, technology and talent. Teams, which are interdisciplinary and include students of architecture, engineering, communications, interior design and more, are graded on ten different ‘contests’ (hence, the Decathlon) that include architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment and net metering.  To compete, the teams must design and build homes that are powered exclusively by the sun and be attractive and easy to live in, maintain comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions, feature appealing and adequate lighting, supply energy to household appliances for cooking and cleaning, power home electronics, provide hot water, and balance energy production and consumption.

For renewable energy geeks like me, the Solar Decathlon is an all-consuming event, pulling fans to the Mall for multiple visits over the course of the 10-day competition. I’m proud to say I’ve worked on behalf of the DOE  as an outside contractor, helping the DOE promote the event to multi-cultural and international audiences. And what a riot. The 2007 drew over 250,000 people over ten days. Lines to visit the houses were so long, the wait for some visitors was over an hour, sometimes more. What’s really interesting is that the event isn’t an exhibition, it’s a competition. It’s not about letting people see the houses, it’s about getting the kids together to cross-pollinate, show off their chops, and get them and renewables some much deserved attention. Yet tens of thousands of people come from all over the country…and the world…to walk through the houses and see—and experience—what the kids have accomplished. (The event was first held in 2002, with subsequent competitions in 2005, 2007 and now in 2009).
 
The attendance at the first event in 2002 was strong, but far less than it has been recently, and support within DOE was equally less robust. Now, however, the event is a feather in the Agency’s cap, which supports it with the internal resources it deserves. There’s even a Solar Decathlon Europe, the result of an MOU signed between Spain’s Ministry of Housing and the Department of Energy for the creation of a competition to occur in the off-years between U.S. Decathlons.
 
My point in pointing out the Solar Decathlon is to highlight one of the many successes people ‘inside’ the DOE and other agencies have managed to achieve. Despite all of the internecine political, bureaucratic and just plain common battles that happen in government (and, yes, other places, I know), passionate people who show up every day manage to not only get things done, but get big things done. They come up with big ideas with big implications and push out at the walls of complacency and the banal.  At DOE, examples include the car competitions run by the Vehicle Technologies program (Challenge X and now EcoCar, to name only the most recent), and at EPA there’s the P3 competition and the amazing Green Power Partnership (not a competition, but amazing nonetheless and created internally by another unsung hero). (Yes, I’m most familiar with environ and energy stuff, but NASA has a college student competition as well, as do other agencies).
 
DOE, for one, manages to get the word out to millions of Americans about weatherization, Energy Star (despite getting short-sheeted on funding that doesn’t cover the task), green building, wind power, solar power, distributed generation, biofuels, and much, much more. Who does that work? You’ll never know. But I’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with some of them as they do what they do.
 
I’m excited by the thought that the current administration will be working with our federal government agencies to communicate the advantages of renewable energy and energy efficiency via trend-forward methods that employ the best of new media. The DOE, for one, has been working to use new methods to inform the general population about solar power, the Decathlon, hydrogen, new diesel technologies and much more. Some of the work is meant to reach out to younger people who are beginning to foam at the mouth over green issues and renewables (see some of the DOE’s work at www.myspace.com/hydrogenIQ and www.myspace.com/dieselIQ). I'm confident that DOE folks will put any new resources and attention that come their way to good use. Just don't forget that they've been there all along, doing what they could with what they had.
 
This post is early in the year to give you time to put the Solar Decathlon on your calendar. I highly recommend you visit DC to soak up the event and connect with some of the young people who are dedicating their careers (lives?) to renewable energy and energy efficiency. And when you do, tilt your hat toward that big building at 1000 Independence Avenue. If not for the people in there, you wouldn’t need to make the trip.