Cemeteries favorite place for photovoltaic farms in Valencia • Registry

In a bid to make both living and dead people feel a little sunnier, the Spanish city of Valencia is transforming its cemeteries into bustling centers of renewable energy.

The initiative, aptly named RIP (Requiem in Power), aims to transform cemeteries into solar power plants, generating clean energy, while giving a whole new meaning to resting in peace.

Valencia, famous for its paella and now potentially its eco-friendly ghosts, has already installed the first batch of photovoltaic panels in three cemeteries. By the time the project is completed, 6,658 solar panels will be gently basking in the Spanish sun, generating more than 440 megawatts of power per year.

According to Euronews, this is enough to power city buildings and provide a quarter of the energy for 1,000 vulnerable households.

Alejandro Ramon, Valencia’s councilor for the climate crisis and energy transition, says the project is the largest urban solar farm in Spain.

The ecological project is part of the Valencia 2030 Climate Mission, which aims to obtain 27 percent of the city’s energy from renewable sources. By 2030, every watt of this green energy will be used to power public infrastructure, including the transition to all-LED public lighting. It seems that the spirits of Valencia are lighting the way both figuratively and literally.

Cemeteries, with their open spaces and eternal peace, are ideal places for solar panels. The RIP project takes advantage of these quiet spaces without disturbing their original purpose. Instead of wasting sunlight, Valencia’s cemeteries will soon be bursting with energy – albeit a quiet, renewable one.

This isn’t the first time cemeteries have been included in the green energy revolution. Saint-Joachim, a cluster of islands in the Brière marshes in France, is also installing a solar canopy over its cemetery. By 2025, this project will generate 1.3 MW of power and provide electricity for 4,000 residents of the commune.

For just €5, Valencians can tap into some of this ghostly energy, proving that even after death there is potential for community profit and sustainability. ®