An empty lot was all that was left after the Austin, Texas airport moved in 1999.

Naturally, ideas started bouncing around about what to do with the massive space. What it has now become is a beautiful, working art installation that serves as a metaphor for the energy-conscious city of Austin.

The field is made up of 15 flower-shaped photovoltaic solar panels that line a pedestrian and bike path on the greenbelt on Mueller, an urban village between a retail lot and Interstate 35.

SunFlowers An Electric Garden, is the largest public art installation in the city and was unveiled on July 30. Because each one of the “flowers” is a working solar collector, the art piece is both emblematic and functional.

The energy the panels collect during the day is then used to power the SunFlowers' stunning blue LEDs, which light up the path below for Austin’s avid bike-riders and walkers. An extra 15 kilowatts generated each day is fed back into the grid and used to offset the costs of operation and maintenance.

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