Sun Shining on the Vatican
Last week, the Vatican announced the installation of 2,400 solar panels on its roofs in order to harness energy from the sun… as well as the Son! Placed atop the famous Nervi Hall, the Vatican solar panels will generate enough electricity to power both the building itself and some surrounding structures. Pope Benedict XVI has given his blessing to the city-state’s shift to renewable energy, and notes that additional solar projects are planned at the Vatican. Shall we crown him the Photovoltaic Pope?
Tourists and other fans of the famous architecture can be assured that the panels will not detract. The Vatican Solar Panels are not visible from the ground. Personally, that is a huge relief to me. I have visited the Vatican twice so far, and am awestruck by its majesty and the deep sense of history one feels upon entering, even if Christianity is not your religion. As much as I am a supporter of solar energy, I will admit that solar panels are not the most architecturally-pleasing. Still, I must think that God is smiling down on the Vatican at this point – pleased by its use of the most obvious source of energy in creation … the Sun!
Installed by the German-based solar company, SolarWorld, the Vatican solar panels will generate 300 kilowatt hours per year (kWh). The panels will reduce the equivalent of 25 tons of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and will also save equal to 80 tons of fossil fuels. And it is just the beginning….
More Vatican solar panels will be installed through the planned construction of a solar energy system plant on land owned by the Vatican north of Rome, Santa Maria di Galeria. This property is currently used as a radio transmission tower for Vatican Radio. The new installations will be able to fully power the station, as well as sell back excess energy to the grid.
Pope Benedict XVI
I was curious as to why the decision has been made now to install solar panels at the Vatican. The answer lies in large part with the Pope Himself. Pope Benedict XVI is considered to be the “greenest” Pope in history. While Catholics are likely aware of the 7 Deadly Sins (greed, lust, sloth, etc.), the Pope announced this year a new list of 7 Deadly Social Sins, based on similar principles as the original list:
Environmental pollution
Genetic manipulation
Accumulating excessive wealth
Inflicting poverty
Drug trafficking and consumption
Morally debatable experiments
Violation of fundamental rights of human nature
Pope Benedict XVI is certainly leading by example. The Vatican is 100% carbon neutral – the only sovereign state in the world that can make such a claim! Carbon offsets and renewable energy credit, as well as a large forest in Hungary owned by the Vatican is capable of absorbing all emitted carbon from the Vatican’s operations. Not quite miraculous, but close!
With the installation of Vatican solar panels, a powerful message of hope, possibility and renewal is conveyed. By showing such reverence for creation (no matter how you define it) and protecting the world from the harms of burning fossil fuels, the Pope is establishing himself as a true religious leader in every sense of the term.
Leave a Reply