Inspiring and Educating Future Generations, One Smartflower at a Time

The first residential Smartflower in Massachusetts was installed with future generations in mind. Located in Dover, Massachusetts, Jake and Elizabeth Grossman installed the Smartflower back in the fall of 2017 with the intent to use it as an educational tool for their children. The Smartflower currently powers the house and acts as a visual reminder for the Grossman family about the importance of renewable energy.

When the Grossmans were planning to build their house in Dover, they knew they wanted to incorporate renewable energy somehow. However, they felt that rooftop solar panels were not a good fit for the look of the house and turned to the Smartflower instead. “We were building a very traditional colonial house, and we didn’t think solar panels would look good on the roof. We opted for the Smartflower instead, especially because it looks cool in our garden and is extremely efficient,” said Jake.

Educating their children on climate change is an important goal for Jake and Elizabeth, and their Smartflower plays a large part in that. Their Smartflower is used to demonstrate how solar power works and provides their children with a real-time visual representation of renewable energy generation. Smartflower aside, the Grossmans also make sure to recycle and compost aggressively, have a vegetable garden, and even owns a honeybee hive through the Best Bees program!

“The Smartflower serves as a constant reminder that we’re here temporarily. We must do right by future generations and take care of the planet. We want our kids to learn this lesson in lots of different ways. [The Smartflower] is one piece of a larger puzzle of caring for the earth and we hope it has a positive impact on our kids,” said Jake.

Everyone who sees the Smartflower loves it, according to Jake, who often has to answer many questions from visitors about the solar flower and the dual-axis tracking technology behind it. His family members are big fans of the Smartflower as well, and Jake has plans to teach his children more about renewable energy by showing them the unit’s energy production data when they get older.

“It’s such an innovative product,” said Jake, “It’s like what the iPhone was for phones. There are lots of solar arrays out there, but the Smartflower combines aesthetics, innovation, and energy production so effectively. There’s nothing quite like it.”

Interested in learning more about other Smartflower installations? Click here.