This year, the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon moved from its historic location on the Washington , D.C. Mall to Irvine, California — a very prescient move considering the current government closure of the Mall. The Decathlon concept has expanded to a Solar Decathlon in Europe in 2012 and China in 2013, and the recent U.S. event was open to overseas contestants. Among the many university teams vying for a chance to compete, teams from Austria and the Czech Republic succeeded in securing spots among…