One of the main characteristics of the Solar Decathlon Europe houses is that they run exclusively on solar energy, as part of the requirements of this worldwide competition for universities. This obligation stimulates the university Teams to search for innovative solutions to integrate photovoltaic technologies in their houses, searching for the best options that combine design with energy efficiency, energy performance and construction. The main tendencies, advances and solutions are presented. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.