About

who we are

Illinois Solar Decathlon is an interdisciplinary registered student organization with over 100 undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We compete in the international, Department of Energy-sponsored Solar Decathlon Build and Solar Decathlon Design competitions. Illinois Solar Decathlon is comprised of an executive board, a build competition team, a design competition team, and a concept team, which fosters skills and knowledge development for younger organization members. 

Our history begins in 2007 when we first took part in the Solar Decathlon Build competition, a challenge open to teams from universities from around the world where students design and build full-size solar-powered homes with support from professional sponsors. Since our impetus, we have built a total of five homes, one of which achieved second place, and competed in several design competitions. Our 2024 Design team are now finalist in the DOE Design Challenge and is polishing IDEALS for the final competition. 

Our mission

Illinois Solar Decathlon seeks to lead innovation in design and technology to advance towards an environmentally sustainable future. We bridge the legacy of past Illinois competition projects to the development of future successful teams. For our existing homes, we ensure their continual usage as a research and outreach platform. On campus, we engage in projects and foster relationships to educate and develop our organization. Through our integrated approach, we aim to elevate the standard of Solar Decathlon and ensure a true contribution to green building.