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UMD Solar Home Has Humidity-Absorbing Waterfall

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- The University of Maryland is rolling out its entrant for this year's Solar Decathlon in Washington.

The university's entrant, dubbed Watershed, will be unveiled Thursday in College Park.

The Solar Decathlon pits designs for solar-powered homes from 20 college teams against each other. The winner is chosen based on factors that include affordability, consumer appeal, energy production and efficiency.

The University of Maryland entry uses the Chesapeake Bay as its inspiration. The home's features include an artificial wetland that filters stormwater and greywater, which is water recycled within a home. The home has a green roof to retain rainwater and help cool it, and features an interior waterfall that uses a water-absorbing liquid to control humidity.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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