The small village on the National Mall looks like something out of a science fiction story. Dozens of solar panels project from the rooftops of unusually shaped buildings, most of which have at least one face dominated by large glass windows or metal.
華府國家大草坪上的小聚落，看起來就像科幻小說故事的場景。造型獨特的建築，大半至少有一面牆主要是大型玻璃窗或鋼板，屋頂上則裝設數十個太陽能板。
The structures are not displays in an Isaac Asimov convention; instead they are temporary homes competing in the Solar Decathlon, an intercollegiate contest designed to spur students to pursue careers in science and engineering, encourage the development of green technologies and raise public awareness of energy efficiency issues.
這些可不是因襲科幻小說家艾西莫夫傳統的建築，相反的，它們是參加太陽能屋十項全能競賽的臨時樣品屋，是跨大學院校的競賽，旨在激勵學生投入科學和工程事業，及鼓勵綠色科技的發展和提高民眾對能源效益問題的認識。
Hundreds of undergraduates worked as long as two years to plan, design and build the solar-powered houses. Then they brought them to Washington for a week and a half of public exhibition and judging in 10 categories, such as comfort and how much energy they produce relative to how much they consume.
數百名大學生投入長達兩年的時間規畫、設計和建造太陽能屋，再把這些太陽能屋運送到華府進行一周半的公開展示，並依舒適度及他們製造和消耗的能源比等十項評分。
Most of the 20 teams are from American schools such as Cornell University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Iowa State University, Penn State, Rice University, Ohio State University, Virginia Tech, Team Boston, Team California, Team Missouri, but groups from Spain, Germany, Canada and Puerto Rico are also competing in the decathlon, which is run by the Department of Energy.
參賽的20支團隊大半是美國學府，像康乃爾大學、香檳城伊利諾大學、愛阿華州立大學、賓州州立大學、萊斯大學、俄亥俄州立大學、維吉尼亞理工，以及波士頓團隊、加州團隊和密蘇里團隊等，但也有遠自西班牙、德國、加拿大和波多黎各來參加這次十項全能競賽的隊伍。主辦單位則是美國能源部。
Team California, which comprises students from Santa Clara University and the California College of the Arts, focused on building a practical house that did not skimp on comfort. The team won first place in the architecture contest of the Solar Decathlon. It's called a decathlon because judges rate the teams on 10 criteria: architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort zone, appliances, hot waters, lighting, energy balance, getting around.
加州團隊由聖塔克拉拉大學和加州藝術學院學生組成，他們把重點放在建造一幢實用但舒適不打折的房屋。這支團隊在能源屋十項全能競賽建築競技項目贏得冠軍。這次比賽之所以稱為十項全能競賽，是因評審有十項評分標準：建築、工程、市場前景、分享溝通、舒適空間、家電用品、熱水、照明、能源平衡和周邊交通設施。
“We wanted to blend form and function,” project manager of Team California Allison Kopf said of the house, whose wooden exterior curves around a wooden deck that is the home's focus. “We wanted to show that green living is not a compromise.” Despite cloudy weather, 48 solar panels still produced 75 percent of the energy needed to run the house, Kopf said. On a sunny day, the house's solar panels generate 150 percent of what is needed.
加州團隊計畫經理柯普夫談起能源屋計畫時說：「我們希望融合外形和機能，我們也希望能夠證明，綠色生活並非一種妥協。」他們所建的能源屋外面由木頭打造的曲線圍繞著房子重心所在的木板平台。雖然天上烏雲密布，48片太陽能板仍產生維持房子運轉所需的75%能源；在陽光普照的日子，太陽能板可以產生房子所需能源的150%。
For the team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the emphasis was "conserve, conserve, conserve," said Ryan Abendroth, who worked on predicting the home's energy use. The group's house, which from the outside resembles a barn, has been certified as using 90 percent less energy than the average home. The team accomplished that goal by heavily insulating the house and making it almost airtight, keeping warm air in and cold air out.
香檳伊利諾大學團隊負責預測房屋所耗能源的阿本德洛斯則強調：「節能、節能、節能」。這支團隊所設計的太陽能屋，外觀就像穀倉，並已證明比一般房子少用90%能源。這支團隊在房裡大量裝置絕緣建材，使它幾乎密不透風，把暖空氣留在室內，並把冷空氣趕出去。
As for the “Silohouse” in the photo (EPA), an energy efficient home with solar panels on the roof, is built by a team of Cornell University students.
至於照片（歐新社）這幢筒倉式能源屋，屋頂也裝了太陽能板，則是由康乃爾大學學生所建。
Competing in the decathlon can be an expensive endeavor. Teams receive $100,000 in seed money from the Energy Department after submitting a plan for developing and building a house, but the real cost can be much higher. Team California's house, for example, cost about $450,000.
參加十項全能競賽代價高昂，各隊在提交開發和建造房屋的藍圖後，從能源部拿到10萬美元「種子基金」，但真正的花費可能要高的多。以加州團隊為例，前後總共就花了45萬美元，
Engineers and architects, like many professionals, face a continuing tough job market, but the student engineers and architects taking part in this year's Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC, display an enthusiasm for their work and technology that belies their current job prospects. Science Careers talked with a few of the competitors, who not only look forward to a career in working with alternative energy, but also want to change the way their professions are practiced.
一如很多專業人士，工程師和建築師的就業市場持續吃緊，但到華府參加今年太陽能屋十項全能競賽的學生工程師和建築師，仍對他們的工作和技術展現熱情，似乎無視於他們目前的工作前景。《科學工作》期刊訪談幾位參賽者，他們不只期望投入另類能源業，同時也希望改變他們專業作業的模式。
Tom Rauch, a sophomore at Pennsylvania State University majoring in energy studies, is on the Penn State team. Rauch hopes the Solar Decathlon and his studies lead to a career in industry where he can help "change the way we're doing manufacturing." A Pittsburgh native, Rauch comes from a family of coal and steel workers. He has already done an internship in the coal industry where he was able to see first-hand its production and engineering processes.
賓州州立大學主修能源研究的大二學生勞赫來自賓州團隊，他希望太陽能屋十項全能競賽加上他所學，能引領他找到一項事業，讓他能「改變我們製造東西的方式」。勞赫是匹茲堡人，他來自煤礦和鋼鐵工人家庭，他已經在煤礦業實習，因為他第一手見證了生產和工程作業流程。
Helen Evans Warren, a master玼s degree candidate in environmental design from University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, is a member of Team Alberta. She plans to use her research to help generate alternative ways of approaching design and to "generate projects that make a difference." Alberta, Warren notes, now relies heavily on oil and gas but the competition can show how alternative energies can make a positive impact on the environment.
海倫‧華倫是加拿大亞伯達省卡加立大學環境設計碩士班候選人，她計畫利用所學協助產生另類建築設計方式，並「帶動煥然一新的計畫」。華倫指出，亞伯達省現在過分仰賴石油和天然氣，透過這次競賽，可以展示另類能源如何對環境產生正面的影響。