MNN - Mother Nature Network

The last I checked in with the 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe, a motley assemblage of 20 18 collegiate teams (more on that in a bit) from across the globe had already converged on Madrid’s Casa de Campa and were in the process of readying their solar-powered homes for the big competition.

 

Now that the solar-powered show-down — or as Smart Planet’s Jennifer Riggins aptly describes the event, “a hardcore international race to build the most self-sustaining home” — has entered its second week and the closing ceremonies are just a few short days away, I thought I’d take a look at the standings thus far.

 

But before I do, I should point out that two teams that I originally featured in my pre-competition round-up posts have since withdrawn from SD Europe: London Metropolitan University and The American University of Cairo. It’s sad news for both but especially for the latter team, which apparently faced some formidable obstacles — funding issues and, umm, major revolutions — leading up to the event. If the Egyptian team had been able to participate, they would have been the first African team to compete in a European Solar Decathlon or its original, Department of Energy-sponsored counterpart. Here’s hoping that both teams who spent so much time and energy designing their homes will show in future competitions.