Our intern, the fabulous Miss Debbie Lambeth, wanted to jump in and share a green thought of her own today. Enjoy!

Most every day on my way to work at Clairemont, I pass a charming little garden right next door that is a part of Marbles Kids Museum. In that garden is a large solar-powered flower that is sure to catch your eye. It’s a tall orange and green metal flower with petals that spin based on the amount of solar energy the panels receive.

How does this flower get its power? There is a sign underneath the flower that does a great job of explaining how it works. To make a long story short, sunlight is made up of tiny bundles of energy called photons. When these photons hit a solar panel, electrons are released. The electrical current then flows up wires in the stem to power the motor and finally spin the flower.

And why does this solar power flower matter? Because solar panels just like these save energy! Tons of it! It’s hard to understand the savings in terms of kilowatt hours (kWh), so let’s think of savings in terms of money. While actual dollar savings can be hard to calculate because of the fluctuation of energy costs, most people who have made the switch to solar report a monthly savings of 50 to 90 percent in their energy bills. While solar panels are certainly an investment upfront, think of what you could save over the course of 10, 20 or even 30 years!

How’s that for a little flower empowerment?