In mid-May, Valencia took a decisive step towards one of the innovative projects that can transform a city. The city council approved Requiem in Power (RIP), an initiative with a global investment of 3.2 million euros to install solar panels in Grau, Campanar and Benimamet, General and Cabanyal districts. What is its difference from other projects? Where the plaques will be: cemeteries.

Why cemeteries? The idea arose from the difficulty of finding space for such installations in crowded cities. This is where the idea of ​​RIP came into play. The city’s cemeteries are large “unused” spaces other than burials. The plan: To install 6,658 photovoltaic panels on crypts and other structures in five public cemeteries in the city to create a total capacity of 2.8 megawatts. It will cover a total area of ​​14,339 square meters.

Innovative use. In Spain, the use of cemeteries as energy efficiency and sustainability hotspots is pioneering, contributing to an initiative launched this year by the community in the French town of Saint-Joachim, which has also installed canopies with solar panels. They will provide shade to visitors while their cemeteries receive energy from the Sun.

Heat is the source and solution of evil. Located on the east coast of Spain, Valencia has a mission to neutralize the climate by 2030. Of course, much of this is due to the intense heat waves seen in recent years.

The city even broke the country’s temperature record last year, reaching 46.8°C. The idea of ​​RIP is that the project will help generate 27 percent of the city’s energy from renewable sources.

Plus more work. Climate Emergency and Energy Transition As Councilor Alejandro Ramon explained, since energy will be produced and consumed in the city, there will be less loss in its transportation and therefore a more efficient installation. In addition, the installation of solar panels in the city’s cemeteries will employ 99 people during the execution of the project and 15 more people in maintenance duties after the facilities are commissioned.

Project status and objectives. More than 800 panels have been placed in three cemeteries so far. In a “green” sense, it would be sufficient to produce 440,000 kilowatts of electricity per year and reduce 140 tons of carbon dioxide.

In any case, when completed it will be Spain’s largest urban solar park, providing electricity primarily to utilities and municipal buildings, but will also try to meet the demand of thousands of vulnerable homes in the area. A final deployment that, according to estimates, will save 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, making Valencia one of the leading cities in terms of both sustainability and energy savings and efficiency.

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