U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu has announced that three universities from Southern California-Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Southern California-have been selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.

The schools will represent the SCI-Arc/Caltech and University of Southern California teams in this worldwide competition to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence.

The 20 selected teams from colleges and universities across the United States and from around the world will now begin a two-year process to design, construct and test their homes before reassembling them at the Solar Decathlon 2013 competition site in Irvine, California.

As part of the Solar Decathlon, teams compete in 10 different categories - ranging from best architecture and engineering to energy production for heating and cooling - while gaining invaluable real-world experience in a growing global industry.

"As President Obama made clear in the State of the Union address this week, we need to ensure that the next generation of America's architects, engineers and entrepreneurs have the hands-on experience and training they need to lead our nation's clean energy future," said Secretary Chu.

"The Solar Decathlon will unleash the ingenuity, creativity and drive from these talented students to demonstrate new ideas for how families and businesses can reduce energy use and save money with clean energy products and efficient building design."

In fall 2013, the Southern California teams will showcase their solar-powered house at the Orange County Great Park, highlighting renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies, products and appliances that are already available to homeowners.

"It's an honor and a privilege for SCI-Arc to again join our Caltech partners and the U.S. Department of Energy in re-imagining the sociology of contemporary housing, the use of alternative fuels, and the application of innovative construction technologies," said SCI-Arc Director Eric Owen Moss.

"Our team is looking forward to exhibiting and discussing conclusions with competitors and the American public in 2013."

SCI-Arc and Caltech will leverage their existing, strong partnership-which led to the creation of CHIP, the team's entry in Solar Decathlon 2011-to once again gather some of the brightest architecture and engineering minds to design and build the solar house of the future for the 2013 competition.

"The SCI-Arc/Caltech Team is thrilled to be selected once again into the Solar Decathlon," said SCI-Arc/Caltech project manager Reed Finlay, who also led the 2011 team.

"We are looking forward to new competitors, a new site, and a brand-new approach to solar housing. "We can't wait to show the world what we have up our sleeve this time."

"This will be the first time that USC competes in the Solar Decathlon. It is a marvelous opportunity for the University to bring together participants from across its multidisciplinary campus to work together on a project that is particularly relevant for our student body and research faculty," said USC School of Architecture faculty member Alice Kimm, one of the primary coordinators of USC's Solar Decathlon effort.

"We look forward to creating an innovative solution to the Solar Decathlon challenge, and will be seeking ways to make it highly impactful for the community-at-large."

Since 2002, the National Mall in Washington, DC, has been the venue for five successful Solar Decathlons. For 2013, Solar Decathlon organizers decided to extend the competition's reach beyond Washington and showcase energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to a new group of visitors and sponsors.

The Orange County Great Park, located between Los Angeles and San Diego, is a dynamic venue that can accommodate the 20 competition houses and the special needs of the Solar Decathlon event-featuring flexible space, ample visitor parking, existing facilities for large special events, and nearby services for visitors.

With direct freeway and rail access and generally favorable weather conditions, the Park will also ensure that residents across Southern California have an opportunity to experience the Solar Decathlon.