Mausoleum-mounted solar panels light up a Spanish town

When officials in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain, suggested placing solar panels in the town’s cemetery, they were met with significant skepticism. But after three years of public outreach, the city council prevailed and the town mounted 462 solar panels on top of a quarter-acre of mausoleums.

Santa Coloma is thus far the only town to use alternative power from its cemetery to fill some of the energy needs of its 120,000 residents; the 100 kilowatts is enough to power 60 households. In April, officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs installed a wind turbine at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, but it will provide power only for the cemetery.


/Popular Science/