For the second time, students from the University of Colorado took first place in the Solar Decathlon, a competition that challenged 18 collegiate teams to create the “most attractive and energy-efficient” solar-powered home.

The school also took the title in the inaugural 2002 competition, the last time the solar decathlon was held.

Teams from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Spain took part in this year’s event, held Oct. 7-16 on the National Mall.

The students had to design, build and operate the solar-powered homes. They competed in 10 areas, ranging from architecture to space heating, cooling and lighting.

In addition, each house had to produce enough energy to also power an electric car.

The final results were announced Oct. 14. Cornell University finished second and California Polytechnic State University finished third. Virginia Tech finished fourth.

C-SPAN Debuts CapitalNews Feature

On Monday, C-SPAN officially announced the launch of a new television, radio and Internet-based information service designed to provide viewers with up-to-the-minute headlines about Capitol Hill, national politics and the White House.

CapitalNews, which airs on C-SPAN every weekday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., is a scrolling news-bar feature updated every 15 minutes with the latest political headlines. Compiled from an assortment of national and local news organizations, CapitalNews headlines also air on C-SPAN radio and are available on www.c-span.org.

The new CapitalNews Web site, www.capitalnews.org, is updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and includes links from headline stories to C-SPAN video clips and a five-day archive of CapitalNews stories.
— Elizabeth Brotherton and John McArdle