Climate change has been on Pope Francis’ agenda for years. In 2015, for example, he called protect the environment and reduce the use of fossil fuels through its encyclical ‘Laudato Si‘. Later promoted the adhesion from the Holy See to the Paris Agreement and even he turned the first pontiff to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP).
Recently, the leader of the Catholic Church signed a motu proprio, a papal decree entitled ‘Fratello Sole’which orders the construction of an agrovoltaic plant for the Vatican. “It is necessary to make a transition towards a sustainable development model that reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, setting the goal of climate neutrality,” the Pope said in the document.
Solar panels and crops in Santa Maria di Galeria
The agrovoltaic plant will be located in Santa Maria di Galeria, a 424-hectare extraterritorial area that houses the Vatican Radio transmission facilities and is located about 25 kilometers from the Holy See. The project will be able to be carried out there thanks to the Lateran Treatiesdecades-old agreements between the Catholic Church and the Italian State that allow it to use the aforementioned lands.
When we talk about agrovoltaic plants, we are referring to initiatives that combine photovoltaic energy with agriculture. What exactly does this consist of? Well, installing solar panels on crops to make the most of the available land. And we are not talking about a completely new technique; its origins date back almost four decades.
Vatican Government Building
Agrovoltaic energy, however, only began to gain popularity in the last decade. In Spain, for example, it is literally gaining ground. However, regarding the project announced by Pope Francis, we do not know what its installed capacity will be and when it will be completed. but it has been announced which will contribute to the “complete “energy support of the Vatican”.
This initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of the causes of climate change. Although there are questions, most scientists point out that the increase in global temperature should not exceed 1.5 ºC so that we do not have to face challenges that endanger life on the planet. And we are dangerously close to the limit.
Images | Long Thien (CC BY-SA 2.0) | Tobi Kellner (the photo on the right of the cover corresponds to an agrovoltaic solar plant located in Donaueschingen, Germany) | Sitomon
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