University of Colorado students won top honors in the 2005 Solar Decathlon — a two-week contest that saw 18 teams build a solar-powered village on the National Mall.
Teams from Cornell and California Polytechnic State universities finished second and third, respectively.
"We should all be proud of what these students have accomplished," Energy Secretary Bodman said in a statement Friday. "Through their ingenuity, their knowledge of design and engineering, and an incredible amount of determination and hard work, they have demonstrated that we can have it all beautiful homes, comfortable homes, and homes that produce all the power they need."
Eighteen college teams from the United States, Canada and Spain were judged in the competition on architecture, livability, comfort and how well the homes provided energy for space heating and cooling, hot water, lighting, and appliances.
Each house in the solar village also had to produce enough extra power for an electric car. A University of Colorado team also won the last competition, held in 2002.