Towards the light: Spanish city installs solar panels in cemetery

A Spanish city has installed solar panels on the roofs of some of the multi-story mausoleums in the town cemetery. The panels capture enough energy every year to power 60 households:

A Spanish city has found an unusual place to generate renewable energy - the local cemetery.

Santa Coloma de Gramanet, near Barcelona, has placed 462 solar panels over its multi-storey mausoleums.

Officials say the scheme was initially greeted with derision, but families who use the cemetery eventually supported the idea following a public campaign. [BBC]

The cemetery was chosen because it is one of the few open, sunny places in the crowded city.

The public was skeptical at first, but city officials manage to reassure them that the panels would be unobtrusive to visitors at ground-level. The program has been such a success that officials plan to install additional panels.

Comments

[Total Solar Energy]

yes, all availabe space should be utilized in the city centres. especially roof space. there must be miles of it

[Eric Jaffa]

I'm glad they're doing this, but it would be more impressive if they were getting enough power for more than 60 households.

[Alon Levy]

The real question is how much footprint the solar panels have. If, at average city density, they have as much footprint as 15 households, then the problem hasn't been really solved.

[cfrost]

The Spaniards are planning for rather more than graveyard solar watts.

As for solar panels, we've used them at work for powering all sorts of electronic gear in remote locations, that while not requiring very much power, has to be absolutely reliable 24/7. I'm continually surprised at how durable the solar panels are. Put up and taken down again and again, casually tossed into trucks, stacked outside in the snow & rain, covered in bird crap, etc., and they keep on working. The only thing that stops them is vandalism or theft.

[Solar Panels]

the cemetery! ha! This is RAD! finally, a good use for it :P