Let There Be Solar Panels...And There Were: Vatican Completes Rooftop Solar Array
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 11.26.08
photo: Chris
As part of its efforts to become the world’s first carbon neutral state (a much easier proposition for a nation only 108 acres in size and with 800 citizens), the Vatican has completed installation of a 5,000 square meter rooftop solar array.
Located on top of Nervi Hall and under construction for a bit over a month, the €1.2 million ($1.55 million) solar power system, consisting of some 2,400 panels was donated by German firms SolarWorld and SMA Solar Technologies. But that’s just not all the Vatican has up its renewable energy sleeve:
740 Acre Solar Array Would Export to Italian Grid
Reuters is reporting that the governor of Vatican City, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, said that the Vatican is considering building a 740 acre solar array on land it owns north of Rome. The land now contains the transmission center for Vatican Radio; the mooted solar power system would supply six times the energy the radio station requires, with the remainder of the electricity to be sent into the Italian national grid.
via: Reuters
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Vatican now powered by God? ;)
The panels were *donated*??? The Vatican is not in the least poor. They have enough money to manage it all on their own. Why is it these companies don't donate to people and countries who actually are poor? So typical. It's often the people who could afford to buy the product 10x over that get it free, not the poor.
This is actually very exciting because the Vatican still has influence with Catholics and any way we can encourage sustainability is awesome.