Solar power is helping kids make a splash at a park in Ottawa's east end this summer, while cooling down the city's budget.

The first solar powered splash pad opened on Friday at Cyrville Park.

"We're not using electricity, it's all coming from the sun, baby!" Coun. Tim Tierney said Friday as the new splash pad officially opened.

The solar panel is located on the top of the pirate ship in the park.

Before the pirate ship was built, kids were cooling off with just a tiny pout. With the installation of the new splash pad and solar panel, dozens of people can splash around freely in the heat.

"It's fun because we always had to walk to the other splash pad and now it's beside my house," parent Melissa Blanchard said.

Tierney says the use of solar energy to power the splash pad at Cyrville Park will cool the city's bottom line.

"This makes it affordable to put this in," Tierney said. "It would cost about $40,000 to run electricity to power the pumps."