The Vatican Goes Green with Solar Panels

The Nervi Hall in the city-state of Vatican has been outfitted with some 2,400 photovoltaic cells, which will supply the 10,000-people capacity dome and some of its surrounding buildings with approximately 300,000 kilowatts-hour (KWH) of electricity throughout the year, thus reducing the state's dependency on Italian-supplied energy. The solar complex is not visible from below, thus leaving the skyline intact.  

This was one of the demands that the Holy See made to the German constructor hired for the job, SolarWorld. In addition to this investment, the Vatican also said on Wednesday that it would reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020, when 20 percent of its electrical needs would be supplied from renewable sources. This course of action coincides with the one set forth by the European Union.  

The solar panels will save approximately 80 tonnes of oil each year, and will keep around 225 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Future plans include the expansion of solar systems, though most buildings in the city are more than 500 years old, and their architecture does not allow for the annexation of solar cells without damaging the skyline the Holy See is so intent on preserving.

  The Holy See newspaper saluted the completion of this project and said that "The gradual exhaustion of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect have reached critical dimensions." This opinion was shared by Pope John Paul II, who enrolled the Vatican on the road to clean energy. Pope Benedict also backs up this initiative, as proven by the support the solar panels benefited from.  

Environmentalist groups expressed their satisfaction regarding this decision and congratulated the Vatican on its approach. The Holy state is known for its concern to the environment, as the last two Popes continuously suggested that the world leaders should focus on these matters a little more, or risk destroying the planet. The Holy See even hosted a few scientific conferences, aimed at analyzing the risks that global warming poses for human life on the planet.