In the marshland of western France, the commune of Saint-Joachim has been transforming an unlikely site, its municipal cemetery, into an unusual clean-energy project. Located in the Brière marsh near the Loire estuary, the commune began developing the plan in 2021: a photovoltaic canopy intended to generate approximately 1.3 megawatts while reducing flooding and supplying locally shared electricity to the town’s roughly 4,000 residents, according to Fondation de France and pv magazine International. Saint-Joachim, a commune of roughly 4,000 residents in Loire-Atlantique’s Brière marsh, developed a plan for a photovoltaic canopy over its municipal cemetery. As per the Fondation de France, the installation was intended to prevent flooding, collect rainwater for the nearby sports complex, and generate solar electricity for local households, businesses, and an EHPAD through collective self-consumption. It was a direct response to a problem the town had lived with for decades, namely a cemetery that regularly floods.
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