This year, the city of Flint, Mich., has two Christmas trees—one in front of City Hall and another in front of the Wade Trim Building. The difference: the Christmas tree outside the Wade Trim building won’t be sucking up any power from the city’s electric grid this holiday season. The 20-foot tree is powered exclusively by solar power.

The solar Christmas tree was outfitted for solar power by solar installation company Mid-Michigan Solar and lit Nov. 30 before a crowd of several hundred people. Mid Michigan Solar president—and former General Motors electrician—Howard Croft says the solar Christmas tree could be seen as a symbol of Flint’s commitment to renewable energy as well as the revitalization of the hard-hit city.

“The City Hall tree represents tradition,” said Croft. “And the solar tree represents the future.”

A solar power pioneer in the region, Croft attended a renewable energy conference in Sweden this year with the mayor of Flint and a group of young entrepreneurs. Upon returning home, the group committed Flint to a renewable future by forming an energy council.

Donated by Genesee Regional Young Professionals, the tree is power by LED lights, a control box and a 200-watt solar panel provided by Mid Michigan Solar. The solar panel stands 5 1/2-feet wide by 3 1/2-feet tall and is set a few feet away from the tree on a metal pole.

Funds—totaling about $3,000—for the tree project were raised from local businesses by the Genesee Regional Young Professionals, and Croft said his business provided the lights, control box and 5 1/2-foot-wide by 3 1/2-foot-tall, 200-watt solar panel stationed a few feet away from the tree on a tall metal pole. The LED lights used are energy efficient and use four-to-five times less energy than traditional holiday lights.

Croft estimates the tree will use about 120 watts of electricity per hour and the solar panel is capable of producing 200 watts per hour.

For the entire month of December, the tree is expected to use 18,000 watts of power, no more than a toaster or other small household appliance would consume if left plugged in all day. A special deep-cell battery was installed in the control box to store the sun’s energy for use at night.

Pictured: This is not the solar Christmas tree. Unfortunately, no one has a picture of it yet.