IMPORTANT UPDATE (03_03_23): After thorough consideration of the responses to the SDE25 Call for Cites, the Energy Endeavour Foundation has retained a compelling and viable proposal from a candidate city aiming to host the Solar Decathlon Europe in 2026. Cities having expressed interest in hosting the SDE25 are invited to submit their Full Application to reflect the objective of hosting the SDE in 2026. Full Applications are expected before October 1, 2023. For further information, please refer to the original SDE25 Call for Cities documentation (see link below). Questions can be sent to questions@energyendeavour.org.
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On September 23, 2022 the Energy Endeavour Foundation (EEF) hosted a webinar to present information on the Solar Decathlon Europe 2025 (SDE25) Call for Cities. This session included the criteria and evaluation process of the bid. Participation was purely voluntary and will not be accounted as an advantage or disadvantage for potential Host City applicants.
The webinar was recorded and is available through the following link:
https://vimeo.com/753771399
The Solar Decathlon Europe is a university-level student Competition in responsible, energy-efficient architecture, engineering, and communication. Apx. 20 Teams compete in the design, construction, operation, and management of solar-powered, energy and resource-efficient dwellings. These are built on a Competition site, a ‘solar village’, within apx. ten days. The site becomes an open forum and exhibition, where the dwellings are showcased to the public, while being evaluated by juries of renowned international experts. The Competition is structured around ten contests which are either measured (i.e. electrical production) or juried (i.e. architecture).
Endorsed by the United States Department of Energy, the Energy Endeavour Foundation (EEF) is the SDE’s official governing body, providing the structure and framework for the SDE. Custodian of the SDE Rules and brand, the Foundation designates Host Cities through European SDE Calls for Cities and international Calls for Teams. The EEF transfers strategic tools, best practices, and project knowledge to SDE Host Cities, ensuring the quality and evolution of the Solar Decathlon Europe.
Thus far, the Solar Decathlon Europe has welcomed visitors twice in Madrid, Spain (SDE10 and SDE12); in Versailles, France (SDE14); in Szentendre, Hungary (SDE19); and in Wuppertal, Germany (SDE21/22).
All SDE Competition events promote a resource-responsible workforce, uniting thousands of worldwide Decathletes, and hundreds of universities, in this singular educational project, cultivating market-driven skills: teamwork, fundraising, management, creative innovation and problem-solving. The Decathletes are bolstered toward their clean-energy careers as architects, engineers, specialists in communications, finance, marketing, energy auditing etc. Students learn by building, interacting with hundreds of thousands of visitors including policymakers, industry specialists, academics and researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals, children and teenagers, and, importantly, the public at large.
Download the accompanying documentation here!
Given the growing complexity of our contemporary socio-ecological challenges and dynamics such as pandemics, human migration, geopolitical tensions, ecological degradation, urbanisation, and inequality, it is more important than ever to demonstrate compassion, and pursue socially inclusive and ecologically regenerative development. As part of the Energy Endeavour Foundation’s core mandate, we seek to empower post-secondary students in the advancement of future human habitats. We do this by facilitating international knowledge and technology transfers, while focusing on urban sustainability transitions. In so doing, with an eye on youth entrepreneurship, the Energy Endeavour Foundation promotes socio-economic development and multidisciplinary solutions to real-world wake-up calls. Only together can we make a difference!
© Energy Endeavour Foundation / Solar Decathlon Europe Photos: Valeria Anzolin, Jason Flakes, Quentin Chansavang