A team from the University of Wollongong Australia-Dubai and TAFE NSW are competing in the 2018 Solar Decathlon in Dubai.
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The three Goulburn residents involved are building services manager Brendan Banfield, marketing manager and graphic designer Cameron Porter and graphic designer and photographer Jasper Dorman. It began on October 29.
The international competition also known as the Energy Olympics challenges teams to design and build a solar-powered house that is sustainable and attractive.
The team chose to build a house that focused on creating sustainable living solutions for the ageing population, specifically those living with dementia.
“Our project manager Clayton McDowell realised much of our retired population were living in uncomfortable and potentially health-damaging conditions, so he put a team together that would focus on creating comfortable living conditions for our elderly whilst also being sustainable,” Mr Porter said.
The teams have 15 days to build the house and then 16 days to tour the public and get judged.
Mr Porter feels this is a really positive story about how rural students are moving on to work on international Science, Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) projects.
“Projects like this demonstrate that life is not so much about were someone is from, but the potential that they work to develop,” he said.
“With the drive to make a difference, rural students can make real change in the world.”
The team were first to complete their house.