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The Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in.

New Zealand Students Do Solar Energy the “Kiwi” Way

By Karin Rives | Staff Writer | 15 July 2011

First Light was designed with outdoor living in mind, just like vacation cabins were half a century ago.
Washington — Dotting the New Zealand landscape are small, simple vacation homes that the country’s growing middle class erected in the middle of the 20th century. Many New Zealanders have fond memories of beach parties held at “kiwi baches,” as they call these country cabins, and of childhood summer days spent in nature.
Students at Victoria University of Wellington wanted to recreate the idea of a kiwi bach when designing the home that will join the Solar Decathlon 2011 competition in Washington in September. But they also wanted to add modern amenities such as running water and renewable electricity to their home, along with a sleek design. For the home’s power generation, they chose polycrystalline solar panels that can withstand coastal storms, conveniently concealing them in a timber roof canopy atop the regular roof. The canopy also helps cool the panels during the summer months.
A large skylight at the center of the home, coupled with sliding doors on each side of the structure, keeps dwellers close to the outdoors at all times.
“The heart of the house is where the concept of getting back to nature comes alive,” said Nick Officer, a 24-year-old member of Team New Zealand. “We’re kind of creating an outdoor area inside the house.”
They named their solar-powered house First Light, another reminder of its New Zealand roots. The South Pacific island nation is the first major country on Earth to see the morning sunlight.
Team New Zealand worked hard to obtain local material for their home, in part to keep costs down. Locally grown timber and ready-made, off-the-shelf products were a given — as was wall insulation with a New Zealand twist: sheep wool stuffed into the 250-millimeter-thick walls instead of glass fiber. But a wide range of expensive home technologies, including a state-of-the-art energy monitoring system and more solar panels than necessary, has taken the house out of the affordable range, Officer said.
“It looks like it will come in quite a bit higher than the $250,000 we were aiming for. But if you were to commercialize it and take it to market, I think you could drop a few of the technologies, such as the energy monitoring system,” he said.

This is the first year New Zealand or a team from the Southern Hemisphere participates in the Solar Decathlon.
This year is the first time New Zealand is represented in the Solar Decathlon and the solar home project has received attention across the country. More than 100 corporate sponsors signed up in support of the project.
First Light was also a hit when showcased on Wellington’s waterfront in late May. An estimated 10,000 visitors lined up to walk through and view the house, several of them giving kudos on the team’s Facebook page.
“A fantastic team effort,” wrote Bonnie Joan Dewart. “You’ll wow ’em in Washington.”
“I LOVE it and would love a little house like this for my little family,” echoed visitor Michelle Lemon.
First Light was really designed to be a holiday home, but it seems to have an appeal beyond the typical kiwi bach, Officer said. “We like to think that people like it because it feels like a home; there’s been a lot of love and attention put into it,” he said.
He dreams of one day being able to live in the house he helped create, or a similar house. It may happen, he said, when he earns money working as an architect designing sustainable homes and buildings for a living.