New York Institute of Technology’s (NYIT) 2005 Solar Decathlon team dedicated their solar-powered home as “America's First Solar-Hydrogen Home” at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, N.Y., on Monday, June 19, 2006. USMMA was NYIT’s sole academic partner during the international competition that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The ceremony was held in conjunction with USMMA’s commencement, where President George W. Bush delivered the keynote address.

The solar-hydrogen fuel cell home, which is now permanently located on the USMMA campus, is now officially open for tours and will serve as a renewable energy research and educational center for the academy’s Alternative Power Program (APP), which was founded in 2004. NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D., and Captain Douglas Brown, USMMA APP program director, each applauded the collaborative efforts between the two schools. Other speakers included Richard King, creator and director of the Solar Decathlon for the U.S. Department of Energy and Richard M. Kessel, chairman of the Long Island Power Authority.

The 800-square-foot house was originally constructed on NYIT’s Old Westbury, N.Y., campus, disassembled into seven parts, transported and rebuilt at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the 2005 Solar Decathlon. The global competition, which ran from Sept. 29 - Oct. 16, 2005, featured 18 schools from 13 states, Canada, Spain and Puerto Rico, and challenged teams to originate and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered home. Following the competition, the house was transported back to New York, rebuilt, and donated to the USMMA.

NYIT was the only finalist participating from the New York metropolitan area and the only school to use a hydrogen fuel cell for energy storage. Greg Sachs, USMMA APP program manager and the Solar Decathlon team’s lead engineer, helped to ensure that NYIT’s plans for hydrogen fuel energy came to fruition. NYIT has again been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to compete in the 2007 Solar Decathlon.

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