The UA finished 18th out of 20 teams in the 2009 Solar Decathlon hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.

For three weeks in October, 20 of the world’s leading solar research universities and institutes presented energy-efficient, exclusively solar-powered homes designed and built by students and faculty.

The Arizona Solar Energy-Efficient Dwelling was constructed in part by faculty, staff and students from the colleges of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

The house features a clear plastic water wall to trap heat during the evening and deflect it during the day, as well as dual-sided solar panels that improve energy efficiency by up to 30 percent. The team is currently in the process of dismantling the project for the trip home.

The houses were judged based on a series of 10 contests, the criteria of which included energy efficiency, marketability and architectural design.

Team Germany took first place at the competition with a total score of 908.297 out of 1000 points. Team Illinois finished second with a score of 897.300. Arizona finished with a final score of 610.339.