Colorado Team Enters Third Solar Decathlon Contest: Invitation for Interviews with Two-Time Winners and Sponsors.

On Friday, October 12, the third Solar Decathlon contest, www.solardecathlon.org, will commence with its opening ceremony, on the Washington Mall in D.C. The U.S. Department of Energy, the organizer of the Decathlon Contest, will conduct the opening ceremonies.

We'd like to invite you to speak with the previous two-time winning team leaders and sponsors from Colorado. Representatives from the Colorado Governor's Energy Office, Xcel Energy and the University of Colorado's Solar Decathlon team will be available following the 10:00 a.m. opening ceremony, at the CU Solar Decathlon home on the Mall, http://solar.colorado.edu/index.html. They are available until noon for interviews, or to arrange in advance, below please find their contact information for your convenience.

Colorado Solar Decathlon Speakers for Interviews:

1. Tom Plant, Director, Colorado Governor's Energy Office, [phone]. Plant to discuss the value to the state from being a third time sponsorship of the contest; current plans for furthering the educational component of the 2007 CU Decathlon home after the conference to encourage homebuilders and owners to use solar energy. Additionally, how CO Governor Ritter's New Energy Economy policies are building the solar industry and installations for the state.

2. Jeff Lyng, Solar and Commercial Buildings Manager, Colorado Governor's Energy Office, [phone]. Topics: 2005 CU Solar Decathlon Student Team leader, now employed with the Colorado Governor's Energy Office. As the former lead in the CU Decathlon team, Lyng can speak to the "on-the-job" training value the contest offers and how this is building qualified trained solar professionals for the industry.

3. Marty Smith, Manager of Environmental Policy, Xcel Energy, [phone]. Xcel Energy is the primary sponsor of the 2007 CU Solar Decathlon team. The company has purchased the home, along with an additional 1,400 square feet to be completed after the competition, to use as a demonstration facility to educate the public about energy efficiency, renewable energy resources and the applicability of solar technology. Smith will be able to answer questions about Xcel Energy's environmental leadership.

4. Chad Corbin, 2007 CU Solar Decathlon Team Leader, [phone]. A master's candidate in civil engineering at CU-Boulder, Corbin can discuss the special energy-saving features of the 2007 solar home, which include building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal panels, a ductless HVAC system with architecturally integrated heat exchangers, and a mechanical spine in which the plumbing and HVAC system are centralized in a completely modular, prefabricated, structural core.