The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is showing off its brand new Smartflowers solar panels at Chickamauga Power Services Center at the state’s Chickamauga Dam. The “flowers” are 16 feet wide, with 12 distinct solar panels or “petals” that rotate to follow the sun, much like a regular flower does each day. Each “petal” retracts at night or in high winds. Each Smartflower can power almost two homes.
“We got five Smartflowers at Chickamauga dam to showcase them to show the public that solar can be beautiful, and it can be smart,” Scott Feidler, TVA spokesperson, told News12. “Solar can be used in a variety of real ways, and Smartflowers are one of those innovative ways to use solar energy. The big picture is how we can use solar power in new ways, let it look different, look beautiful, and power our modern lives in a clean way.”
Photo Courtesy TVA
The Smartflowers are wisely positioned on Thrasher Bridge, where more than 70,000 vehicles travel each day as they pass over the dam on state route 153.
“You see them as soon as you cross the dam,” Tyler Marlow, TVA energy efficiency expert, said in a news release. “It’s a super-heavily trafficked area.”
Photo Courtesy TVA
TVA’s commitment to sustainability and desire to do something that would catch the eye of residents led to the idea of solar blossoms.
“The thought process was to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and innovation,” Rozh Ameen, TVA’s manager of architecture and engineering, said. “And it’s just pretty.”
“I’ve had my friends ask about it,” Ameen continued. “People love it. They drive by. They know I work for TVA, so they bring it up.”
The Smartflowers at Chickamauga are wired to the nearby TVA central labs complex, which houses energy-intensive testing equipment.
Most importantly, they help reduce the amount of power the Chickamauga Power Services Center draws from the grid.
Their technology means they distribute solar energy differently than traditional panel installations — and their open ventilation provides natural cooling, resulting in greater output. With traditional solar panels, heat accumulation can yield up to a 10% loss. The Smartflowers also have dual-axis tracking, allowing them to maintain a 90-degree angle to the sun all day. This position also makes them more efficient than stationary panels — even those that rotate on a single axis.
Photo Courtesy TVA
“It was the perfect opportunity, the perfect location,” Lisa McKinney, director of TVA facilities management, said in the news release. “And they look beautiful out there. It’s definitely something TVA can be very proud of. It highlights our commitment to not only the environment but green power.”
TVA says this new project will help with the development plans for more on-site solar facilities.
Photo Courtesy TVA
“The overall strategy of TVA is to adopt more renewables,” Chris Azar, a Senior Program Manager with TVA EnergyRight, said in the news release. “We’re making a change.”
