Introducing the Solar District Cup Class of 2024–2025

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Group of Photo voltaic-Plus-Storage Collegiate Design Rivals Retains Rising Stronger

College students from 38 colleges are coming into an ever-widening neighborhood of opponents and alumni concerned within the U.S. Division of Power (DOE) Photo voltaic District Cup Collegiate Design Competitors. In its sixth 12 months, the Photo voltaic District Cup continues to problem college students to design and mannequin photo voltaic and solar-plus-storage techniques for actual mixed-use districts.

As a part of efforts from the DOE Photo voltaic Power Applied sciences Workplace (SETO) to develop the photo voltaic workforce, the Photo voltaic District Cup continues to evolve and entice faculty opponents from throughout the USA and Puerto Rico.

At this stage of registration, 43 groups from 38 schools and universities will symbolize the Photo voltaic District Cup Class of 2024–2025, designing and modeling photo voltaic power techniques like a whole lot of groups which have competed earlier than them. Extra groups will be part of the competitors on a condensed timeline that closes registration on Jan. 16, 2025.

Inspiring College students To Be a part of the Photo voltaic Workforce

The Photo voltaic District Cup seeks to encourage college students to contemplate new profession alternatives, study industry-relevant abilities, have interaction with the skilled market, and put together to develop into leaders in clear power.

In 2023, clear power jobs grew greater than twice the speed of the general economic system, as reported within the 2024 United States Energy and Employment Jobs Report. The photo voltaic sector alone jumped by 5.3% over the earlier 12 months. This progress is critical for the USA to satisfy its clear power targets of an inclusive, equitable transition to a completely decarbonized electrical energy system by 2035.

The Photo voltaic District Cup helps college students’ exploration of the photo voltaic {industry}, providing coaching within the full photo voltaic design course of—from shoppers’ requests for proposals to monetary evaluation and community-inclusive improvement plans to pitch displays. The competitors additionally connects college students with {industry} mentors and curates a jobs board of open entry-level positions and internships for college students to contemplate.

Watch a series of short videos to listen to Photo voltaic District Cup alumni supply recommendation to this 12 months’s competitors class and speak concerning the industry-relevant abilities they developed all through the competitors.

Rising the Group of Rivals

One of many advantages of competing within the Photo voltaic District Cup is the chance to attend an occasion hosted by RE+, together with the annual nationwide convention.

“I enjoyed meeting Solar District Cup alumni at the RE+ conference this year,” stated SETO Director Becca Jones-Albertus. “The skills these students learned in the competition, like how to address complex challenges as a team, and knowledge they gained about solar energy technology will serve them well in their next endeavors. Their growth and enthusiasm are inspiring.”

This 12 months, groups will compete in as many as six divisions. 5 divisions can have assigned districts, and one division shall be for groups that select to specify their very own district use circumstances. Two of those divisions will start the competitors in a condensed model of this system that closes registration on HeroX in January 2025.

Competitors organizers will present all related information to the groups selecting to be assigned a district. The groups taking part within the “bring-your-own-district” possibility will design plans for their very own faculty campus or different chosen district. No matter division, all groups have the chance to reimagine how power is generated and managed inside their districts.

The three assigned district use circumstances for college students beginning this fall are Seattle Schools, State College of New York at Oneonta, and The Faculty of New Jersey.

Taking part Faculties within the Photo voltaic District Cup Class of 2024–2025

The colleges taking part with pupil groups within the full-academic-year timeline of the Photo voltaic District Cup Class of 2024–2025 embody:

• Appalachian State College
• Arizona State College (Winter/Spring timeline)
• Boise State College
• Boston College
• Colorado College of Mines
• Columbia College
• Group Faculty of Philadelphia
• Cornell College
• Drexel College
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College
• Hampton College
• Houston Group Faculty
• Illinois State College (Winter/Spring timeline)
• Manhattan College
• Navajo Technical College
• New Jersey Institute of Know-how
• New York Institute of Know-how
• North Carolina State College
• Northeastern College
• Oregon Institute of Know-how
• Portland State College
• Southern Methodist College
• Texas A&M College–Faculty Station
• The Faculty of New Jersey
  (together with one Winter/Spring workforce)
• The Cooper Union for the Development of Science and Artwork
• The George Washington College
• The Johns Hopkins College
• The College of Alabama
• College of California, Merced
• College of California, Santa Barbara
• College of Colorado Boulder
  (Winter/Spring timeline)
• College of Dayton
• College of Illinois, Chicago
• College of Massachusetts Lowell
• College of Minnesota Duluth
• College of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
• College of Utah
• Villanova College

“We are honored to see the growing community of competitors, with both returning schools and new schools added to the roster this year,” stated Sara Farrar, competitors organizer on the Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory. “We hear back from so many students that this competition was crucial to their entry into clean energy careers, and we are helping to connect these future leaders so that they become mentors, themselves.”

All through the competitors, partnering organizations, together with Aurora and RE+ Occasions, present college students with coaching and instruments. Their help is essential to pupil success within the competitors and past as the scholars proceed their training and enter the renewable power workforce.

Groups will now start to work on their designs earlier than reaching their first milestone within the competitors, the submission of their Progress Deliverable Packages in November.

Nonetheless Time To Register for the Competitors

Collegiate groups can nonetheless register for the competition till Jan. 16, 2025.

In case you have any questions or are excited about getting concerned with the Photo voltaic District Cup as a competitor, accomplice, {industry} mentor, or choose, contact the Solar District Cup organizers. You can even follow the Class of 2024–2025 as they advance via the competitors.

Information courtesy of NREL.