The Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon House will re-open its doors at the new Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum in Cartersville, Ga., at the "Solarbration" Grand Opening Event on Saturday, Oct. 10. The 800-sqare-foot house runs completely on solar power and was designed and built by a team of Georgia Tech faculty and students for the United States Department of Energy's 2007 International Solar Decathlon Competition.

The Solarbration is open to the public with regular museum admission, or free for Tellus members. From 10AM to 6:30PM, visitors can tour the Solar Decathlon house with Georgia Tech's "Solar Decathletes" who helped design and build the House. The event also will feature new planetarium show, "Heart of the Sun" (planetarium ticket prices apply), access to the observatory and telescopes for solar viewing and learning activities like ultra-violet bead making and demonstrations in biofuels and alternative energy for cars.

At 7PM, visitors will have the chance to hear about the design and construction of the Solar Decathlon House from architect and Georgia Tech instructor Lane Duncan.

Tellus became the new home with the help of Green Habitats, Inc., an organization that promotes sustainable building by supporting research and educational programs to design and build housing that conserves water and energy. "We chose Tellus because it will attract a high number of student visitors," said Lie-Nielson. "This will provide an excellent outreach program for Green Habitats scholarships and for Georgia Tech recruitment." Green Habitats became the official Steward of the Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon House after the competition, and plans to continue to fund more projects like the Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon House that add more comprehensive research and education on what is possible through sustainable energy.

Visit the Georgia Tech Solar Decathlon microsite to learn more about the team and the design.

Visit the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum.