Vatican Installs Solar Array As the Church Calls for Use of Renewables

The Vatican will activate a large solar power array on one of its main buildings today, generating enough electricity to meet the energy needs of several sizable church structures. The 5,000 square-meter (54,000 square-feet) roof of Nervi Hall has been covered with 2,400 solar panels, which will generate 300 kilowatt hours of electricity annually — enough to meet the year-round energy needs of the hall and several neighboring buildings. Built in 1971, the hall is used by popes to hold general audiences and also doubles as a concert venue; the panels will not be visible from the ground or change the Vatican’s skyline. The Vatican said the solar array is the first major step toward helping the church complex meet a target of producing 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, in line with European Union guidelines. In an editorial this week, the Vatican newspaper called for a global move to renewable energy, saying, “The gradual exhaustion of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect have reached critical dimensions.”