The university competition Solar Decathlon Europe will be held at the Villa Solar in Madrid from 14 to 30 September 2012. The objective of the teams participating in the event is to design and build efficient houses, with special importance attached to reducing the use of energy, which must be obtained from the sun. Solar Decathlon Europe has its origins in the United States and the competition US DOE Solar Decathlon, which was held for the first time in 2002 and which arrived in Europe in 2010. Since its inception, it has taken on considerable international importance, as it promotes research into the development of efficient housing that could become a reality in the near future.
During the final competition stage, teams will assemble their houses in Madrid, at a public exhibition site that the competition organisers have named Villa Solar, located in the Casa de Campo urban park. At the Villa Solar, it will be possible to visit all the finalist projects as they undertake the ten trials (hence the name "decathlon") that will determine this year's winner.
ATERSA is playing an active role in the design and calculation of the installation, lending all its experience and research to provide the best possible photovoltaic system for the ekihouse project by the University of the Basque Country, which incorporates 56 modules from ATERSA's ULTRA range, and two inverters. The project consists of building an industrialisable, sustainable and environmentally friendly house that provides a high standard of living for its residents, using a collaborative methodology that includes the design, manufacturing and construction processes.
Ekihouse is a solar house that delivers bioclimatic solutions for the actual needs of its residents, through the use of mobile elements that adapt to the solar incidence, providing a high level of energy efficiency and improved living standards. ATERSA is working on the mobile solar rooftop, which is intended to capture the solar energy that powers the house. This rooftop slides across the south facade, creating a shield that protects this side of the house from direct solar radiation, while using said radiation to produce the energy needed to supply the house with electricity.
