  Solar flares stem from the reconnection of twisted magnetic field lines in
the solar photosphere. The energy and waiting time distributions of these
events follow complex patterns that have been carefully considered in the past
and that bear some resemblance with earthquakes and stockmarkets. Here we
explore in detail the tangling motion of interacting flux tubes anchored in the
plasma and the energy ejections resulting when they recombine. The mechanism
for energy accumulation and release in the flow is reminiscent of
self-organized criticality. From this model we suggest the origin for two
important and widely studied properties of solar flare statistics, including
the time-energy correlations. We first propose that the scale-free energy
distribution of solar flares is largely due to the twist exerted by the
vorticity of the turbulent photosphere. Second, the long-range temporal and
time-energy correlations appear to arise from the tube-tube interactions. The
agreement with satellite measurements is encouraging.
