Inauguration of the installation of photovoltaic panels in the Cortile delle Corazze in the entrance of the Vatican Museums
Green energy at the Vatican
The official inauguration of the new photovoltaic system in the Cortile delle Corazze at the entrance of the Vatican Museums, marks a step forward on the journey towards obtaining energy from renewable resources, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and to respect our Common Home.
The new photovoltaic system expresses the “green” vocation of Vatican City State. The inauguration ceremony and blessing took place on Friday morning, 20 December, in the conference hall of the Vatican Museums. Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Ms. Barbara Marinali, President of Gruppo ACEA, Mr. Salvatore Farina, Director of the Governorate’s Directorate for Infrastructures and Services, and Mr. Stefano Liotta of Gruppo ACEA, delivered addresses during the inauguration ceremony, which was moderated by Ms. Barbara Jatta, Director of the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage.
Also present were Sr. Raffaella Petrini and Mr. Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, respectively, Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Governorate, Mr. Silvio Screpanti, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Infrastructures and Services, and Mr. Fabrizio Palermo, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Gruppo ACEA.
Speaking at the inauguration, Ms. Marinali, President of Gruppo ACEA, said, “The beauty of art and technological innovation, are perfectly joined in the project we are inaugurating today at the Vatican Museums. It is an opportunity for ACEA to provide its contribution, thanks to the great professionalism of the Group, to one of the most important museums in the world, while at the same time, supporting the artistic and cultural sector. Today we can say that the Vatican is becoming ‘greener’. We are thus continuing in our commitment to improve infrastructures and provide solutions that move in the direction of a “smart” city, a future in which new technologies, digitization and artificial intelligence, pose the greatest challenges”.
Despite logistics difficulties, the new photovoltaic system was installed in the record time of just six months, and is ready to produce electric energy from a renewable resource, on the eve of the Jubilee.
With this project, the Governorate of Vatican City State is implementing the guidelines Pope Francis outlined in the Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’, and fulfilling the international obligations it assumed with the signing of the Paris Agreement.
As part of this project, a photovoltaic system is currently being installed in the Vignaccia warehouse in the Vatican Gardens, and is expected to be completed within the first few months of next year.
The two photovoltaic systems are expected to yield 350 KW of photovoltaic peak power, generating a total energy production of approximately 500 MWh of electric energy per year.
The installation project in the Vatican Museums’ Cortile delle Corazze permitted extraordinary maintenance works, a reduction in thermal radiation and its consequent reduction in the energy used to cool areas in the summer, the improvement of the thermic comfort of visitors and employees, the production of electric energy from a renewable resource with a nominal power output of 135 kWp and a yearly output of about 164 MWh/year, and lastly, a new system of lighting that aesthetically enhances the site.
The installation’s technical details express the advanced technology that was implemented and the professionalism involved. The photovoltaic panels were produced by the Italian company, Società Energy Glass, which is experienced in the sector. The internal and external scaffolding were installed in such a way as to avoid any inconvenience to the daily visitors entering the Museums. In order to reduce any disruption, the scaffolding was setup at nighttime.
On the same day, 20 “fast” charging points on 10 charging stations and two “ultra-fast points” on one charging station were inaugurated beside the entrance to the Paul VI Hall. The charging stations, a project of the Governorate’s Directorate for Infrastructures and Systems in cooperation with Gruppo ACEA spa., are the first ones that will be available to all holders of an employee or service card, and the first time that charging services will be provided alongside the sale of traditional fuel. The charging stations can potentially be doubled to 40 “fast” charging points and 4 “ultra-fast” points.
The project is part of a wider plan to develop a network of charging points inside Vatican City State, and is one of a series of systems which have already been installed in various sites, for recharging the fleet of electric vehicles in use by the Governorate and other institutional members of the State.
