February 24, 2011 - From Green Source: A Blog of Sustainable Building - By Alanna Malone

The Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior recently revealed that the 2011 Solar Decathlon will be held on the National Mall after all. The past four events have taken place between the Washington Monument and the Capitol, but the new site, which Energy Secretary Steven Chu calls “a world-class location,” is just south of the new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, between the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Potomac River.

An earlier announcement in mid-January that the event would be relocated due to property damage (see Solar Decathlon Booted from Natioinal Mall) sparked outrage from participants. Students and professors were unhappy about the alleged site change because the solar powered homes are designed specifically for Washington, D.C.’s climate. A new geographic location would have influenced the energy performance of the homes, which teams have already spent over one year designing and constructing. Participants also expressed concern that if the event were held in a less visible spot, corporate sponsors might revoke financial support and the event might not fulfill its mission to educate the public about energy efficiency.

Teams launched a campaign aided by social media to keep the Decathlon on the Mall with a YouTube video, letter writing campaign to officials, and Facebook group. The effort seems to have worked with a compromise that keeps both sides happy, a rare occurrence in the country’s contentious capital.