Since the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon’s inaugural event in 2002, it’s been held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This year, 20 collegiate teams from around the country are participating in the popular event to determine which school can design the best solar home. The Department of Energy announced last week that it’s seeking to change locations this year, much to the chagrin of participants.

It is iconic to witness the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall, our nation’s front yard. In a series of weeks, 20 houses pop up on its grassy lawns. At one end of the mall, visitors can see the Washington Monument, the other, the Capitol. And the houses are flanked by the annals of history that are the Smithsonian museums lining the park. Throngs of visitors from throughout the country and across the globe are able to see the Solar Decathlon for free.

The National Mall hosts roughly 24 million visitors annually, and it is suffering from that heavy foot traffic. Events like the Solar Decathlon and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival put additional strain on the park. In 2010, the National Park Service put into place a $600 million rehabilitation plan to enhance the park and make sure it’s sustainable in the future.

With the impact of building 20 houses on the mall over a period of weeks, and the throngs of visitors to the decathlon, the Department of Energy and the National Park Service are looking for a new site for the Solar Decathlon in 2011.

Spencer Culhane, with Team Massachusetts, which consists of students from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said it doesn’t make sense for them to move the competition off the park for restoration purposes.

“All the teams have to pay for any damage to the mall,” he said.

Culhane said having the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall shows how important it is to the U.S.

The U.S. event was the first such event in the world, he noted. Europe held one last year in Spain, and China will soon host its first decathlon. Having it on the National Mall, he said, shows how important the event is to our country.

Since the department only announced they were seeking a new home for the event last week, it’s still unclear where it will be held.

“We have no idea where it will be,” Culhane said. “Shipping a house to DC is much easier for us than shipping it to Chicago, or California.”

At this point Culhane said that Team Massachusetts and administrators at their respective schools, and those at other schools, are working on having the event moved back to the mall.

Pictured: The 2010 Solar Decathlon, staff photos.