Metropolitan’s 16th Annual Solar Cup™ Launches This Weekend as 39 High School Student Teams Build Their Solar-Powered Boats

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The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California:

WHAT: The nation’s largest solar-powered boat competition takes shape this weekend (Nov. 4-5) as teams of high school students from five Southern California counties assemble the 16-foot hulls they will equip and race next spring as part of Metropolitan Water District’s 16th annual Solar Cup™ competition.
WHEN:

Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 4 and 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Three Valleys Municipal Water District headquarters, 1021 E. Miramar Ave., Claremont
VISUALS: Hundreds of students building 16-foot canoe-like hulls from pre-cut kits of marine-grade plywood. Teams will then take the boats back to their schools and spend the next seven months equipping them with solar panels, motors, batteries and steering and working to maximize their endurance, speed and mechanical efficiencies.

BACKGROUND:

The Solar Cup program culminates with three days of boat racing May 18-20, 2018 at Metropolitan’s Lake Skinner near Temecula in southwest Riverside County. The field includes 39 teams of high school students in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

The Solar Cup™ program is a team-based educational competition that allows students to apply their skills in math, physics, engineering and communications, while learning about Southern California’s water resources, resource management, conservation and alternative energy development. Along the way, about 11,000 students have participated, showcasing technical ingenuity, scientific skills, creativity and collaboration.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

List of 2017-18 Solar Cup Teams

Member Agency Sponsor

Team/School Name

City

Anaheim Public Utilities Anaheim High School Anaheim
Burbank Water & Power Burbank High School Burbank

Long Beach Water Department†

Cabrillo High School Long Beach
Las Virgenes MWD Calabasas High School Calabasas
Las Virgenes MWD Campus Kilpatrick Malibu
Inland Empire Utilities Agency* Chino High School Chino

Municipal Water District of Orange County*

Coast High School Huntington Beach
City of Compton Compton High School Compton

Municipal Water District of Orange County*†

Costa Mesa High School Costa Mesa
San Diego County Water Authority Del Lago Academy Escondido
Central Basin MWD Downey High School Downey
Western MWD* Elsinore HS / Lakeside HS Wildomar
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Franklin High School Los Angeles
Three Valleys MWD* Fremont Academy of Engineering & Design Pomona
Three Valleys MWD* Ganesha High School Pomona
Eastern MWD Hemet USD Team Hemet
San Diego County Water Authority High Tech High North County San Marcos
Pasadena Water & Power John Muir High School Pasadena

San Diego County Water Authority†

Kearny High School (School of Engineering, Innovation & Design) San Diego
Foothill MWD* La Cañada High School La Cañada Flintridge
Upper San Gabriel Valley MWD Los Altos High School Hacienda Heights
Inland Empire Utilities Agency* Los Osos High School Rancho Cucamonga
Long Beach Water Department McBride High School Long Beach
West Basin MWD Mira Costa High School Manhattan Beach
Upper San Gabriel Valley MWD Mountain View High School El Monte
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Narbonne High School Harbor City
Western MWD* Norte Vista High School Riverside
Eastern MWD Nuview Bridge Early College HS Nuevo
Municipal Water District of Orange County* Oxford Academy Cypress
West Basin MWD Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Rolling Hills Estates
Central Basin MWD Paramount High School West Paramount
Eastern MWD Perris Union High SD Team (Heritage HS; Paloma Valley HS; Perris HS) Romoland
Western MWD* Riverside Poly High School Riverside
Three Valleys MWD San Dimas High School San Dimas
Long Beach Water Department Sato High School Long Beach

Inland Empire Utilities Agency*†

Upland High School Upland
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Venice HS STEMM Magnet Los Angeles

West Basin MWD†

Waterfront Education Redondo Beach
Upper San Gabriel Valley MWD West Covina High School West Covina
* = has co-sponsor(s)

† = Rookie