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Solar District Cup

Class of 2023-2024: Challenging multidisciplinary student teams to design and model solar-plus-storage systems for a campus or district.

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Summary

OVERVIEW

Welcome to the Solar District Cup Class of 2023-2024!

WHAT IT IS: The Solar District Cup is a collegiate competition that challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and model distributed energy systems for a mixed-use campus or district—groups of buildings served by a common electrical distribution feeder. 

The competition engages students across disciplines—engineering, finance, urban planning, sustainability, communications, and more—to reimagine how energy is generated, managed, and used in a district. 


HOW IT WORKS: Student teams assume the role of a solar developer to produce conceptual designs, financing, and project development planning in a solar-plus-storage proposal for a district use case. 

Over the course of the competition, students receive training from solar-industry experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and partner companies. Students also receive free access to leading industry tools to enable successful solar system design and financial modeling. 

Teams compete in one of multiple divisions. Students submit deliverable packages for evaluation and present their solutions to judges live at an online competition event.

Winning teams from each division are selected by industry judges based on the quality of students’ proposed solutions. Judges are looking for winning proposals that maximize the district’s energy offset and financial savings over the contracted or useful life of the system while also integrating aesthetic, infrastructure, and community considerations.  


WHY JOIN THIS COMPETITION?

The Solar District Cup seeks to inspire students to consider new career opportunities, learn industry-relevant skills, engage with the professional marketplace, and prepare to lead the next generation of workforce in distributed solar energy.

As competitors, students:

  • Gain experience with innovative renewable energy design
  • Practice with industry-leading tools used every day in solar development 
  • Engage with industry professionals to forge connections and transition to the solar energy workforce
  • Develop real-world solutions that shape the future of solar energy.

PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

The Solar District Cup originated in 2019. Learn more about the past classes of competitors, including winners and district use cases: 

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the competition: 

The Solar District Cup is directed and administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and is funded by the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office. Learn more.


GUIDELINES

The Rules document provides a framework for student effort, team submittal requirements, and judging evaluation. Consult the official Class of 2023-2024 Rules (updated Jan. 17, 2024). 

GOAL

The goal for each team is to design a solar-plus-storage system for a campus or district that maximizes energy offset and financial savings during the contracted (if power purchase agreement [PPA] or lease) or useful (if cash purchase) life of the system.

Competition teams analyze electric distribution grid interactions and assume the role of renewable energy system developers to produce a PPA, lease, and/or cash purchase proposal for their division’s district.

The Solar District Cup has multiple divisions. Each division has a set of teams that compete against each other. 

Each team is tasked to design a solution for a use case of an existing mixed-use district or campus interested in increased distributed energy development. For most divisions, the competition organizers provide teams with the details of their division’s district use case. Continuing in the Class of 2023–2024, there is a division in which student teams identify their own defined district use case of electricity load and site data.

A district use case is a defined geographic area served by one or more electrical distribution feeders, with a collection of spaces potentially available for PV installation, including but not limited to building rooftops, façades, open land, parking, agricultural dual use, bodies of water, and other facilities or spaces. 

HOW JUDGING WORKS

A qualified panel of three to five judges—comprising subject-matter experts and representatives from the partner district use cases selected by the competition organizers—score finalist submissions. The following are judging statements judges will use to evaluate Final Deliverable Packages for the Class of 2023-2024: 

  • PROJECT PROPOSAL - The proposal presents a clear and concise summary of the project. Both the proposal and the presentation make a compelling case for why the proposed solution is the best choice for the district given its needs, constraints, and goals.
  • CONCEPTUAL SYSTEM DESIGN - Conceptual system design proposes creative and innovative solution that demonstrates excellent analysis, system design, optimal battery use strategy, and understanding of the PV hosting capacity with distribution constraints.
  • FINANCIAL ANALYSIS - Financial analyses communicate a strong grasp of renewable energy project finance. Input assumptions are justifiable, calculations are correct, battery operation strategy delivers maximum economic benefits, and pricing and rate of return are attractive to the market. The outputs of both the battery analysis and the customer savings analysis are included as tabs in the Excel-based financial model.
  • DEVELOPMENT PLAN - Proposed building, site, construction, and development plans with any rezoning add significant value in a comprehensive, actionable, and feasible approach for the district, authorities having jurisdiction, and surrounding community members with distributional equity

COMPETITION DELIVERABLES

Teams participating for the full academic year are expected to submit two deliverables: a Progress Deliverable Package part way through the competition and a Final Deliverable Package. Teams that submit the Progress Deliverable receive feedback from the organizer staff.

Student teams participating for just the spring semester (or winter and spring quarters) compete within their own division and submit only the Final Deliverable Package in April.

Competition deliverables are submitted via the online HeroX competition platform. Details about what teams should include in each of the deliverables are available in the official Class of 2023-2024 Rules.

ELIGIBILITY

The Solar District Cup invites teams with at least three students enrolled in accredited U.S.-based collegiate institutions to participate. Students must be enrolled in at least one class and must be pursuing a degree during the competition. Note that graduating during the competition period does not disqualify team members.

To be eligible to present to judges, team members must not have graduated any earlier than the fall semester or quarter immediately preceding the final competition event. Students and faculty advisors are not required to be U.S. citizens at the time of the competition. Judges, competition organizer staff, and DOE and national laboratory employees are ineligible to compete.

Although any level of collegiate student is eligible to compete, the scope is intended to be challenging for multidisciplinary teams of upper-level undergraduate students. Student participation may be integrated into a senior design or capstone project, count as elective or independent study course credit, be added to the curriculum of existing classes, be treated as a seminar topic, be engaged as part of a student interest club, or be an extracurricular student activity.

Each team is encouraged to have at least one faculty advisor, but this is not required for participation. Teams are also encouraged to connect with mentors inside or outside their school. If a team of students needs assistance in identifying a mentor or faculty advisor at their institution, they can contact the competition organizers for help. 

By uploading a deliverable package, a team certifies that it complies with the eligibility requirements. If the organizers become aware that a team or individual is not eligible, that team may be disqualified from the competition.

Timeline
Updates19

Challenge Updates

Cheer on Teams at the Class of 2023-2024 Pitch Championship On Monday!

April 25, 2024, 9:30 a.m. PDT by sara fall

On Monday, April 29, the top three teams in each competition division will be announced at 11 a.m. ET, and then the 1st-place teams get a few hours to prepare their 8-minute project pitch to their peers, a public audience, and a panel of industry judges, who will determine this year’s Project Pitch Champion. 
 

Join us on April 29 at 2–3:15 p.m. ET to cheer on your favorite team! 
 

 

Don’t miss the chance to see these student leaders shaping the future of solar in this live virtual event. Learn more about the Class of 2023-2024 U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition Final Competition Event and join the Pitch Championship to watch the students make their case and see who will be crowned the Class of 2023-2024 Project Pitch Champion!


You’re Invited: Join Solar District Cup Competition Event April 27–29

April 18, 2024, 9 a.m. PDT by sara fall

Student teams competing in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition Class of 2023–2024 have been diligently working on their solar and solar-plus-storage projects. Now, they’re getting ready to pitch their proposals to their competition peers and solar industry judges at the Competition Event taking place April 27–29, 2024. 

Student teams across multiple divisions will participate in a two-day, three-part event where they will present their solar proposals to a panel of industry judges, find out the winners in each division, and compete for the title of Project Pitch Champion. The schedule of events includes: 

  • Saturday, April 27
    • 12 – 6 p.m. EDT - Solar District Cup Division Presentations to Judges
  • Monday, April 29
    • 11 – 11:30 a.m. EDT - Solar District Cup Division Winners Announcement
    • 2 – 3:15 p.m. EDT - Solar District Cup Pitch Championship

On Monday, April 29, Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office director, will join the Division Winners Announcement to make welcome remarks and award the first-, second-, and third-place winners and honorable mentions in each division. Then, the 1st-place teams from each of the six divisions will present a 6-minute project pitch to their peers, a public audience, and a panel of industry judges. Dr. Geri Richmond, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and Innovation, will give the keynote remarks and announce the Project Pitch Champion! 

Join us to cheer on your favorite team! 

Register to join the Pitch Championship, watch the students make their case, and see which team will become this year’s Project Pitch Champion!

 

Don’t miss this chance to witness these student leaders shaping the future of solar in this live virtual event


Thank You to Our Solar District Cup Partners!

Feb. 13, 2024, 9 a.m. PST by sara fall

 

The organizers of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition would like to recognize and thank our Class of 2023–2024 partners for their support and collaboration. Students competing in this competition continue to benefit from the resources provided by these partners. Because of their generous contributions, students can develop their learning and awareness of solar energy and the clean energy industry through the Solar District Cup. 

Our partners include: 

Aurora

This software company has created a cloud-based platform that uses data, automation, and artificial intelligence to streamline workflows and grow solar businesses faster. The company provides complimentary accounts with access to both Aurora Solar and HelioScope software to all competing teams for the duration of the competition, as well as customized training and hosting “office hours” sessions. 

RE+ Events 

RE+ Events, powered by Solar Energy Industries Association and the Smart Electric Power Alliance, brings clean energy leaders together in marketplaces across the United States and internationally to expand business prospects and share best practices. RE+ Events offers attendees and students year-round access to resources for growing their businesses as the industry changes, as well as opportunities to have an impact on the future of clean energy through exhibition at events and speaking opportunities at educational seminars. 

In addition to these programmatic partners, we also have several district use case partners, which change every year. The Solar District Cup Class of 2023–2024 has multiple divisions. Each student team’s effort centers on a use case of a real-world, mixed-use district or campus interested in pursuing clean energy solutions.  

The Solar District Cup would not be able to provide these district use cases without the collaboration of our Solar District Cup Class of 2023–2024 use case partners and their willingness to share valuable data with the student teams: 

  • California State University, Northridge
  • Miami University of Ohio 
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of Florida
  • University of Washington

Additionally, several teams have opted to define their own district use case in the “Bring-Your-Own-District” division this year, and we extend our appreciation to those use case partners for working with Solar District Cup competitors to support their success!   

Learn more about our Class of 2023–2024 partners. Thank you for helping to make the Solar District Cup such a remarkable learning opportunity!  


Congratulations to the Largest Ever Class of Finalist Teams in the Solar District Cup!

Jan. 30, 2024, 8:30 a.m. PST by sara fall

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition announced today that 60 teams from 53 schools are advancing as finalists in the Class of 2023–2024, including 17 teams from 17 schools that joined the competition for the one-semester division since December. 

"This is the largest cohort yet of Solar District Cup finalists," said Becca Jones-Albertus, director of the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office. "These competitors represent the next generation of talent to support the growing solar sector that is needed to meet the country’s clean energy goals. There is great creativity, innovation, and excitement in this competition, and I’m looking forward to seeing the teams' designs in April."

Class of 2023–2024 Finalists

The following list includes finalist teams who are either advancing from the initial group announced in October or starting this month in the Winter/Spring division.

The collegiate institutions competing as Class of 2023–2024 finalists are:

  • Alfred University 
  • Appalachian State University 
  • Baylor University
  • Boise State University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Central New Mexico Community College
  • Cleveland State University
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Columbia University
  • Dartmouth College
  • Drexel University
  • Florida A&M University
  • Franklin & Marshall College
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Houston Community College 
  • Kankakee Community College
  • Macalester College
  • Maine Maritime Academy
  • Manhattan College
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Miami University
  • Navajo Technical University
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
  • North Carolina State University 
  • Northeastern University
  • Ohio University
  • Portland State University
  • Santa Clara University
  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Texas A&M University–College Station
  • Texas A&M University–Kingsville
  • Texas Tech University
  • The City College of New York
  • The George Washington University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • The State University of New York Morrisville
  • The University of Alabama
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • University of Dayton
  • University of Houston
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
  • University of South Florida
  • University of Utah
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Villanova University
  • West Texas A&M University 
  • Western Washington University
  • Xavier University of Louisiana
  • Youngstown State University

"Each year, it’s rewarding to see these students embracing the challenge of designing distributed solar energy systems," said Sara Farrar, Solar District Cup co-organizer. "They get to see a solar design from so many angles in this competition—meeting the electrical load and providing the financing along with the interconnection, distributional equity, and aesthetic considerations of how solar installations can produce far-reaching benefits. We’re eager to see how their designs and analysis develop between now and April!” 

If you are interested in getting involved with the Solar District Cup as a partner, judge, or industry mentor, contact the Solar District Cup organizers!

Congrats again to the Class of 2023–2024 Finalist Teams! 


Deadline Tomorrow to Register a Team for the Solar District Cup Winter/Spring Division!

Jan. 24, 2024, 9 a.m. PST by sara fall

Tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. ET, is the deadline to register for the Solar District Cup Winter/Spring division! In this new division, students design and model distributed energy systems that integrate solar photovoltaics for real college campus districts (groups of buildings fed by a common electrical feeder) with financing. 

You do not have to complete any work to register a team!

To register, follow these steps at https://www.herox.com/SolarDistrictCup:

  1. If you are new to HeroX, click the “Solve this Challenge” button at the top of this page: You will receive a confirmation email about HeroX registration, but you are not yet enrolled in the competition. 
  2. Once you are registered for HeroX, click on the “Begin Entry” button at the top of the Solar District Cup main page
  3. Fill out the “Create Submission” form with the best info you have right now—your answers can be general at this time. 
  4. Click “Submit Entry” to complete your registration. 
  5. Here’s how you know you’re registered: You will receive a welcome email from the Solar District Cup organizers signaling that you are officially registered to compete in the Class of 2023-2024!

Please share this opportunity with your network! Reach out to organizers with questions at  and we will reply promptly. 

Thank you, and we hope you’ll cheer on the Solar District Cup student teams at their final competition event in April—more details soon!


 


Forum
Teams2.5K
Resources
FAQ
2023-2024 Event
Partners & Judges

Partners & Judges

2023-2024 COMPETITION EVENT JUDGES 

Meet the industry professionals serving as judges for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition Class of 2023-2024 Event 

 

“Bring-Your-Own-District” Use Case Division Judges

Carla Brown
Senior Project Manager for Facilities Planning and Capital Projects, California Polytechnic State University

Carla Brown is a professional in the construction industry with a wealth of experience in construction management, contract negotiation, and project administration. She manages multiple cross-functional teams to deliver capital projects from inception to close out. During her tenure as a senior project manager at California Polytechnic State University, she managed all aspects of design and construction of the William and Linda Center for Research and Innovation, and she is currently working on the renovation of the Kennedy Library Building. During her time at REC Solar Commercial Corporation, Brown managed multi-million-dollar solar photovoltaic (PV) projects throughout California and Hawaii, with clients in the private and public sectors. She was also part of the Northern California Solar Energy Association staff.

Edward Settle
Vice President, Project Manager, Underwriting for U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance

Edward Settle is a veteran energy professional with more than 30 years of experience providing energy business technical and economic guidance to investors, developers, lenders and government. His current assignments involve underwriting tax equity finance for residential-, commercial-, and utility-scale solar plus storage projects nationwide.

Kristen Tarr
Project Developer, ENGIE North America, Distributed Solar and Storage Group

Kristen Tarr earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy from Western Washington University’s College of the Environment and a master’s degree in energy policy and climate from Johns Hopkins University. Kristen currently works at ENGIE North America as a Project Developer in the Distributed Solar and Storage group. She is currently developing a portfolio of distributed energy projects, including projects participating in community solar programs, providing load for behind the meter customers, and redeveloping former brownfield sites. She has over six years of experience in the renewables and energy transition space, previously working in residential solar and utility partnerships.

 

California State University, Northridge Use Case Division Judges

Coleen Barsley
Assistant Director of Engineering Services, California State University, Northridge (CSUN)

Coleen Halloran Barsley oversees the Central Plant, HVAC/Mechanical, and Automotive Shops at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Previously, she was the energy manager at CSUN and held a similar position at California State University, Channel Islands. Barsley’s background includes almost ten years at Southern California Edison as a boiler overhaul coordinator, plant engineer, and customer service field engineer. Her first professional job was as a field service engineer for an international boiler original equipment manufacturer (OEM) after graduating from State University of New York Maritime College with a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering. She has two adult children and has lived with her husband in Camarillo, California for 28 years.

Kristen Fornes 
Director of Distributed Generation (DG) Origination, ENGIE North America 

Kristen received a bachelor’s of science degree in finance from DePaul University and an MBA in sustainable management from Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. She started her career selling retail power contracts to small business customers for American Electric Power Retail Energy in Chicago. Kristen now leads the DG Origination team at ENGIE Distributed Solar and Storage that focuses on developing solar and storage projects for three types of customers: commercial and industrial scale customers seeking behind the meter projects, community solar and utility customers, who could be municipalities, co-ops, and investor-owned utilities seeking DG projects. 

Dr. Mallory Squier-Babcock
Senior Civil Engineer, Nexamp

Dr. Mallory Squier-Babcock earned her bachelor's degree in environmental systems engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and her master's and doctorate degrees in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and Syracuse University, respectively. She is a professional engineer in New York, and her previous experience includes six years in engineering consulting. In her current role, Dr. Squire-Babcock acts as an owner's engineer for Nexamp, providing technical knowledge and support for internal partners throughout the project lifecycle. 

 

Miami University of Ohio Use Case Division Judges

Olivia Herron
Director of Sustainability, Physical Facilities Department at Miami University

Olivia Herron received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has returned to her alma mater as director of sustainability in the Physical Facilities Department. Herron co-chaired the Climate Action Task Force that resulted in Miami University's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040.

Briana Morris
Co-Owner and Commercial Principal Engineer for Namaste Solar

Briana Morris earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering with a certificate in Spanish language from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been a solar designer in both commercial and residential design for over nine years and has her professional engineering license in electrical engineering. In her current role, along with developing new engineering standards and processes, she is the technical leader of a commercial design team that designs everything from 50kW direct current roof mount systems to 6.4MW direct current single-axis tracking ground mounts, including agrivoltaic ground mounts, 1.5MW carports, and medium voltage interconnections with both primary and secondary metering. 

Al Varshoi
Pre-Construction Project Manager, ENGIE North America

Al Varshoi has a Master of Business Administration from Boston University and a Master of Environmental Science in civil engineering from the University of Western Ontario. Varshoi works on distributed generation solar projects from the mid-development stage to “notice to proceed” (prior to shovel in the ground). Currently, he works on two solar projects in Illinois that are close to “notice to proceed.”  One of those projects will provide power to a manufacturing company in Illinois behind the meter to lower their reliance on the grid. 

 

University of Florida Use Case Division Judges

Navya Gundeti
Director of Project Development for the Distributed Solar and Storage Division at ENGIE North America

With over nine years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Navya Gundeti has played a pivotal role in expanding and developing pipelines for several major energy corporations. Her journey in solar energy commenced during her master’s program in Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University, where she worked on a Concentrated Solar Power project. Gundeti also holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing her MBA part-time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In her current role, she oversees a dynamic group of project developers and a growing portfolio of 200+ MWs, accelerating the world’s transition to clean energy.

Dan Hardwick
Engineer, Facilities Services Energy and Engineering, University of Florida

Dan Hardwick studied aerospace engineering with a minor in music performance at the University of Florida. He collaborated in the creation of a desktop energy audit, which is being used as a metric to drive energy audits in educational buildings on the University of Florida campus. Hardwick was brought onto the team as an intern, initially, solving a wide array of problems in building and utility-side infrastructure. As an engineer on the Facilities Services Energy and Engineering team, he gets to use modern technology and software to tackle classic problems in the industry.

Caitlin Kearney
Senior Associate of Business Development for Nexamp

Caitlin Kearney received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder in 2014. During her time at CU Boulder, she deepened her passion for a more sustainable climate and decided to pursue a career in renewable energy. Kearney has been in the solar energy space for a decade, starting as a project coordinator at a small residential solar company in Denver, followed by four years at Sunrun, and now working at Nexamp, the nation’s largest community solar developer. Ms. Kearney works specifically in the New York development market, focusing on origination and strategy implementation to continue development for large distributed generation projects.

 

The University of Texas at Dallas Use Case Division Judges

Hannah Bent
Policy Advisor, ENGIE North America

Hannah Bent received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, with a major in environmental science, and her master’s degree in environmental policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago. She has over ten years of experience in public policy at the state and federal level, much of it directly related to sustainability, energy efficiency, and distributed energy resources. Since joining ENGIE in 2019, Ms. Bent has become an advocate for innovative policies and programs supporting a variety of renewable energy projects and energy storage solutions. 

Danielle Dunn
Sustainability Coordinator, University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas)

Danielle Dunn holds a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science and master's degree in environmental sustainability and natural resource management from Texas Tech University with a PhD in political science in progress from UT Dallas. She works in the UT Dallas Office of Sustainability leading communications and coordinating internal and external stakeholder collaborations between administrative departments, research faculty, and students to achieve community-focused sustainability. 

Ian Tsao
Associate Director, Engineering, OneEnergy Renewables 

Ian M. Tsao earned a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering, with a minor in green engineering from Virginia Tech University. He is an 11-year veteran of the renewable energy industry with 1,000+ MWdc of commercial- and utility-scale solar PV system design experience. He is responsible for establishing electrical project design standards and processes and overseeing the engineering delivery of in-house developed solar PV systems. Currently, he is overseeing the design of a 20MWdc+ portfolio participating in the Wisconsin community solar program.

 

University of Washington Use Case Division Judges

Shelby Lawson Harford
Proposal Manager of Distributed Solar and Storage Origination for ENGIE North America

Shelby Lawson Harford received a dual Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. She also received a contractual law certification from Harvard Business School. She started her energy career in the oil and gas sector managing global offshore drilling proposals for over four years, and recently switched over to the renewable Energy sector in 2022. Shelby now leads the Distributed Generation Behind the Meter Origination Proposal team at ENGIE Distributed Solar and Storage, which focuses on developing solar and storage project proposals, including financial modeling and PPA structuring for commercial and industrial scale customers seeking behind the meter projects. 

Benjamin Schneider
Director of Project Finance, Adapture Renewables

Benjamin Schneider earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College. Over the past nine years in solar project finance, he has led negotiations with equity and debt investors for structured finance transactions supporting deployment of all scales of solar generation facilities, including residential, commercial and industrial, and utility. In his current role at Adapture, he has closed six such transactions, securing funding for 21 facilities totaling more than 200 MW of installed capacity.

Dr. Jan Whittington
Associate Professor of the Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington

Dr. Jan Whittington is the founding Director of the Urban Infrastructure Lab, Associate Faculty at the Tech Policy Lab at the University of Washington, Seattle, and a former scientist and strategic planner for the international infrastructure giant, Bechtel Corporation. She is also a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution, in Washington D.C., in their Metropolitan Policy program. Dr. Whittington is a global expert in infrastructure planning and economics, smart cities, climate-smart capital planning, and city climate finance. For more than a decade, her research has been supported by the UNFCCC Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, United Nations, C40, Rockefeller Foundation, and a wide variety of regional banks. Her Ph.D. is in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was advised by economic Nobel laureate Oliver Williamson.

 

Our Partners

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition depends on partnerships to be successful. We would like to thank the following organizations for their impactful support of the student experience:

Aurora

This software company has created a cloud-based platform that uses data, automation, and artificial intelligence to streamline workflows and grow solar businesses faster. The company provides complimentary accounts with access to Aurora Solar and HelioScope software to all competing teams for the duration of the competition, as well as customized training and hosting “office hours” sessions.

RE+ Events

RE+ Events, powered by Solar Energy Industries Association and the Smart Electric Power Alliance, brings clean energy leaders together in marketplaces across the United States and internationally to expand business prospects and share best practices. RE+ Events offers attendees and students year-round access to resources for growing their businesses as the industry changes, as well as opportunities to have an impact on the future of clean energy through exhibition at events and speaking opportunities at educational seminars.

District Use Case Partners

In addition to these programmatic partners, we also have several district use case partners, which change every year. The Solar District Cup class of 2023–2024 has multiple divisions. Each student team’s effort centers on a use case of a real-world, mixed-use district or campus interested in pursuing clean energy solutions.  

The Solar District Cup would not be able to provide these district use cases without the collaboration of our Solar District Cup class of 2023–2024 use case partners and their willingness to share valuable data with the student teams: 

  • California State University, Northridge
  • Miami University of Ohio 
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of Florida
  • University of Washington

Additionally, several teams have opted to define their own district use case in the “Bring-Your-Own-District” division this year, and we extend our appreciation to those use case partners for working with Solar District Cup competitors to support their success!

Thank you to our partners!

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