While it seems counterintuitive for a home to be sending electricity to a power company, solar-powered homes in the future may do so regularly.

The Penn State Solar Decathlon Team has designed MorningStar, a solar-powered, 800 square foot home as a competitor in an international competition to be held in Washington, D.C. next fall.

The home is designed to always be on a power grid, meaning that if there is not enough sunshine bathing the solar panels to keep residents out of the dark, the home can mooch off a power plant until there is, said Nick Rotondi (Sophomore-Architecture), a member of the team. Additionally, MorningStar is designed so that when it is generating more power than it needs, it can send the extra juice over the grid and to the company. If it generates and sends enough, residents could be paid by the power company, Rotondi said.

The solar decathlon team is composed of graduate and undergraduate students studying many different disciplines, including agriculture, architecture, communication, earth and mineral science, engineering, landscape architecture and nutrition among others.

Penn State's Center for Sustainability organized Penn State's entry in the Solar Decathlon for two main reasons, said David Riley, Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering.

"First, to provide a powerful, interdisciplinary learning opportunity about renewable energy for as many Penn State students as possible, and second, to advance Penn State's leadership in energy innovation and sustainability research and education," he said.

At the decathlon, MorningStar will be graded on many criteria, including engineering, appliances, lighting, architecture and market viability, among others. The solar-powered homes are graded to determine levels of attractiveness and energy-efficiency.

MorningStar is designed with a technical core, a living space and a breezeway between the two, Rotondi said. The technical core will house a mechanical room, a kitchen and a bathroom, and the living space will house a living and dining room and a bedroom.

MorningStar will be trucked to Washington next fall in two pieces-one the technical core and the other the living space and breezeway-where the two pieces will be connected, Rotondi said. Once assembled, MorningStar will be operated alongside 19 other solar-powered homes from colleges around the world in the Solar Decathlon.

Solar panels integrated in the home's roof will supply it with power, Rotondi said. Solar shingles integrated in two of the home's walls will also supply it with power, said Sal Gimbert (graduate - Architectural Engineering), a member of the team.

A solar thermal system will take hot air generated underneath the solar panels and use it to heat the home. Movable plant shelves integrated in one of the home's exterior walls will provide another means of temperature regulation, Rotondi said. They will be able to be positioned either in front of or out of the way of windows, thereby either keeping warm sunlight out of or letting warm sunlight into the home.

In addition to the plant shelves, the home will also feature a green roof, which will be a garden on the roof of the technical core, Rotondi said.

Interior luxuries include skylights, a dashboard that provides residents with weather forecasts among other things and a moving wall between the living and dining room and the bedroom.

MorningStar is pioneering technology that future average Joes could use in their future homes It is about raising awareness and not just conserving, Riley said.