All solar farms are lovely, but this one will downright steal your heart. Once built, its 7,888 panels will form a four-acre valentine, visible only from above, on Grand Terre, the biggest island of the South Pacific archipelago New Caledonia.
This heart will pump two megawatts of sun-powered electricity through the arteries of the New Caledonian grid, which means they won’t need to burn as much gas, oil, and coal — the territory’s main fuel sources — to keep the lights on.
The design mirrors a nearby heart-shaped swath of wild mangrove — the Coeur de Voh, or Heart of Voh — made famous by the photography of French activist Yann Arthus-Bertrand in his coffee-table staple Earth from Above. (In honor of Grist’s deep sea mission this month, and because it’s a brilliant film, consider dedicating 90 minutes to exploring the human-ocean bond through Arthus-Bertrand’s latest documentary, Planet Ocean.)
This project says, “Hey, Sun. We love you. Thanks for the juice.”
Wikimedia Commons / BananafloThe Coeur de Voh
