U.S. and Colombia to Collaborate on 1st Solar Decathlon in Latin America

The Energy Department and Colombia announced on March eleven that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate in the development of a Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean competition. The MOU signed by the U.S. and Colombian governments marks the 1st step towards a Solar Decathlon competition in Latin America. The Solar Decathlon is a competition launched by the Energy Department in 2002 to challenge university teams to design and build affordable, innovative, and highly energy-efficient solar-powered homes.

Under the terms of the MOU, both countries will exchange information regarding rules, scoring, judging, safety, and location and team selection for a Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean event. In collaboration with the Energy Department and Colombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Department of Planning of Colombia and the City of Santiago de Cali project to host the 1st Solar Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean to take place in Santiago de Cali in late 2015.

Since 2010, the Energy Department has helped to launch 4 international Solar Decathlon competitions, including 2 in Madrid, Spain in 2010 and 2012; one in Datong, China in 2013; and one planned for Versailles, France in July 2014. See the Energy Department news release and the Solar Decathlon website.

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