Xcel Energy, a Minneapolis-based electric utility and natural gas company, has become the primary sponsor of the 2007 University of Colorado Solar Decathlon team with its agreement to contribute $200,000 toward the zero-energy solar home being designed and built by CU-Boulder students.
The CU team, which won the first-place trophy in both the 2002 and 2005 competitions, is designing a 700 square-foot competition module and 1,400 square feet of supplemental space for a complete three-bedroom, three-bath home. Nineteen other university teams from the U.S., Canada and Europe will transport their homes to Washington, D.C., for the competition, which will take place in October.
According to Xcel Energy, the company will make CU-Boulder's home available for public education purposes and continuing solar research at a location that is still to be determined.
