Kansas Project Solar House Demonstrating Off-Grid Capabilities with a Little Help From the Sun and Siemens Building Technologies
October 16 2007 - 11:09AM
PR Newswire (US)
Kansas State University and University of Kansas now competing in
the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon at the National Mall in
Washington D.C. BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ --
Engineering and Architecture students from Kansas State University
and University of Kansas are hoping that thousands of people from
across the country will visit the Kansas Project Solar House at the
National Mall in Washington D.C. this week to become more familiar
with the concept of a net zero-energy home (a home which produces
as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year). (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071016/NYTU113 Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) To help
the Kansas Project Team attain its energy-efficiency goals for the
entry, Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. contributed
sophisticated building automation technology as well as volunteers
who provided the engineering support necessary to help students
connect and control the solar power, heating, ventilation, lighting
and other systems into a cohesive integrated system. The Siemens
APOGEE (R) Building Automation System provides students the ability
to monitor and control Kansas Project Solar House systems via the
web anywhere there is an internet connection. Twenty university-led
teams come from across the U.S., Spain, Germany, and Canada to
design, build and operate the most efficient and attractive solar-
powered homes. Teams have worked for more than two years designing,
building and testing their homes - this competition is the
culmination of that work. According to Secretary of Energy Samuel
W. Bodman, "The Solar Decathlon highlights ingenuity and
entrepreneurial environmentalism as future engineers and architects
produce homes that generate all the energy they need without
sacrificing style and comfort." For more information on DOE's Solar
Decathlon, visit http://www.solardecathlon.org/. The Kansas team's
mission statement exhorts people to "redirect expectations" and the
home demonstrates that philosophy in many ways-from pools of water
that reflect light into interior spaces to sensors that gauge
ambient light and turn off light fixtures automatically when they
are not needed. Kansas' entry also incorporated recycled and
reclaimed building materials-including wood from a barn they tore
down themselves. For more information on Kansas Project Solar
House, visit http://solarhouse.capd.ksu.edu/. As a leading provider
of energy and environmental solutions, building controls, fire
safety and security systems solutions, Siemens Building
Technologies, Inc., makes buildings comfortable, safe, secure and
less costly to operate. With U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove,
Ill., Siemens Building Technologies employs 7,200 people and
provides a full range of services and solutions from more than 100
locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 28,000
employees and operates from more than 500 locations in 51
countries. For more information on Siemens Building Technologies,
visit: http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071016/NYTU113
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Building
Technologies, Inc. CONTACT: Steven E. Kuehn of Siemens Building
Technologies, +1-847-941-6047, Web site:
http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies
http://www.solardecathlon.org/ http://solarhouse.capd.ksu.edu/
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