A group of students and faculty members from the University of Louisville's Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research recently had the opportunity to participate in the Solar Decathlon Middle East competition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event, the largest solar decathlon competition for international universities, featured 14 international teams and took place Oct. 20 to Nov. 21 at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Over the last 2 years, teams designed and built high energy-efficiency, grid-connected, solar-powered houses, which were set up together in a public showcase village during the World Expo. UofL teamed up with Higher Colleges of Technology, American University of Sharjah and American University in Dubai to form "Team Desert Phoenix." The team fused talents of faculty, staff and students from all four universities to design, build and compete with a state-of-the-science 1,000-square-foot house. UofL's Conn Center for Renewable Energy R