The six teams will use SunPower’s solar panels to power homes the students have designed, and are building for the competition. SunPower panels were used by the teams, which stood first in the last three Solar Decathlon competitions held in the U.S.

The Solar Decathlon Europe, organized by the Spanish Ministry of Housing, is modeled after the Solar Decathlon that is held by the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. every two years.?In this first European competition, decathletes will compete at the Solar Village, located near the River Manzanares, close to the Principe Pio station. The Decathlon, hosting 17 teams from three continents, challenges students to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive.

Headquartered in San Jose, California, SunPower designs, develops, manufactures, markets and sells high-performance solar electric power technology products, systems and services worldwide for residential, commercial and utility-scale power plant customers.

SunPower’s semiconductor-based solar cells and solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, are manufactured using proprietary processes and technologies.

The fortunes of SunPower appear strong, given the revival of the alternative energy industry, and specifically solar power energy, higher captive generation of panels, rising average conversion efficiency, declining silicon cost and assured silicon supply.