So what powers those xmas tree lights ...

[Mako Koiwai]

... the small ones that cities keep on their trees year around now. Like in Old Town Pasadena. I don't see any power coming up from the ground. Some could be powered from street lights and buildings that the trees are up against, but certainly some of the trees are free standing.

Batteries with darkness sensors?

[Arthur Grant]

I would assume most have a ground power connection you just not seeing it. But solar is easy enough to do for tree if your just powering LED christmas type lights.

[Mako Koiwai]

I don't understand what you're saying: "not seeing the ground connection?" It's pretty easy to walk around a number of trees, and note that the wiring/lights do not extend below a certain point on the tree trunk.

If they're hidding solar panels in the folige they're doing such a good job that even the sun must have trouble finding them.

[Will Kalman]

Maybe they attached power cables to the trees when they were saplings and now they have grown around and engulfed the wires?

[Mako Koiwai]

OLD Town Pasadena ... not sure they had electricity when those trees were planted!

[Jayson Woodruff]

Well there's got to be some sort of power source. Either grid connected or solar to battery. If it's solar to battery, you should be able to see an obvious solar panel, and perhaps a not so obvious, but still there, battery and electronics enclosure.

Shouldn't be hard though, follow the wire. Don't make me drive up there. ;)

Jay W

[Mako Koiwai]

Be my guest!

[Mako Koiwai]

From a City Planner friend:

As to the Christmas lights - they are really small stars that the people at
JPL have been able to collect. Really though, it kind of depends - many, if
not most, are powered from cords from the adjacent business as part of their
"Business district Assessment" if you look up higher you will probably see a
cord from the tree to the building. Whittier worked that way. New
construction and remodeling had to provide an outlet on the exterior, but
some were on a separate circuit from the alley to the front, just for the
lights.

... but some of the trees are definitely free standing ... not next to a building or street lamp? Still investigating ...

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Probably on the normal grid.

[Q V]

The ones @ UCI Marketplace are freestanding going into a outlet in the ground. It's not immediately obvious unless you are specifically looking for it.