This year the Biennial Solar Decathalon sponsored by the US Departmant of Energy was won by an inventive group of students from Darmstat, Germany. Team Germany has taken the first place prize in the Solar Decathalon for the second time in a row.

Rob Fierro of GreenandSave.com has written a great piece about Team Germany's winning Cube House.

What set Team Germany's design apart from the other entries was their creative use of solar panels on the roof as well as on the walls. Thin film solar cells were attached with aluminum strips as a siding creating the potential to generate 11,000 watts of safe, clean energy from the sun. This amazing house generates enough safe, clean solar energy to power all of it's electrical systems including hot water heat plus another house just like it. Yes, that't righ this house is designed to produce twice as much energy as it uses.

That is the way forward to a hopeful future. Congratulations.