Datong, a city in North China’s Shanxi province, is scheduled to host the Solar Decathlon in 2013.

The event, known as the Olympics for the solar energy realm, is an international competition where 20 college teams compete to design, build, and run the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

The winner is expected to submit an entry that best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production.

Li Xiaopeng, deputy governor of Shanxi province, said that the event, co-sponsored by China’s National Energy Administration and the United States’ Department of Energy, will serve as an important project in energy cooperation between the two countries. The venues and other infrastructure for the competition is now under construction, said Feng Lixiang, Datong’s Party chief.