Solar Power Goes to the Grave

The cemetery contains the remains of about 57,000 people. The solar panels cover less than five per cent of its total surface area.

Some graves of the dearly departed near Barcelona, Spain, are literally empowering a small town through solar panels mounted on the tops of mausoleums.

The monuments were built in one of the few flat and sunny areas around Santa Coloma de Gramenet.

A network of 462 photovoltaic panels generates 125,000 kilowatt hours, the equivalent of the yearly electricity needs of 60 homes, according to Conste-Live Energy, a Spanish company that runs the cemetery and also markets the renewable energy.

It says the panels were erected at a low angle to be as unobtrusive as possible.

The project was initially a tough sell to those who thought it would be disrespectful to the deceased.

But city council member Antoni Fogue says painstaking care was taken to make sure the installation “is compatible with respect for the deceased and their families.”

Fogue added that the company hopes to erect more panels to triple the electricity output.

Photo: Conste-Live Energy