Cornell's Solar House

Ithaca Journal – A house powered by the sun, Big-Red style

It’s got a kitchen island that unfolds into a table seating eight, a rain showerhead and tankless toilet in the bath, a bed that can be lowered for non-sleeping space, and furniture made from bourbon barrels.

It evokes images of New York farm silos, has three rooms, has Energy Star-rated appliances, and is yours for $199,000. You have to provide the land, but not the power: It all comes from the sun. That’s the rule.

The house is the Cornell University entrant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon Contest. Multi-disciplinary teams from universities across the country design, build and deliver prototypes of solar-powered houses. Cornell’s entry was the work of a team of students representing such fields as architecture, marketing, engineering, business, landscape architecture and communications. Their work will be on display at the New York State Fair in Syracuse through Labor Day, then will be shipped to the National Mall in Washington for the contest in October along with the other 19 entries.

Continued at Source – ithacajournal.com (photo slideshow at source)