The Vatican s first power supply side energy storage

Why did Pope Francis build an agrovoltaic plant?

In this document, the pope orders the construction of an agrovoltaic plant in an extraterritorial area of the Vatican: Santa Maria di Galeria, about 20 miles northwest of Rome. This structure is meant to supply energy for the entire Vatican City State. This is not the first measure Pope Francis has taken to make the Vatican more ecological.

How will the Vatican's new energy system work?

According to the Vatican’s press office, the installation will apply the most advanced solutions currently available, balancing clean energy generation with the preservation of agricultural use, the region’s hydrogeological stability, and the protection of its cultural and archaeological heritage (ZENIT News / Rome, 08.01.2025).-

What did Pope Francis say about agrivoltaic energy?

Citing Pope Francis’s «Laudato Si’», Gallagher reminded listeners that access to clean, renewable energy remains elusive for many across the globe, and that while progress has been made, systemic change is still slow. The agrivoltaic project is one of those “good practices” Pope Francis called for in his encyclical a decade ago.

Why did the Holy See build an agrivoltaic system in Santa Maria di Galeria?

On July 31, at the historic Palazzo Borromeo, the Holy See and the Italian Republic signed a landmark agreement to build an agrivoltaic system in Santa Maria di Galeria. More than a technical feat, the initiative is a spiritual and diplomatic gesture—anchored in the conviction that caring for creation is a moral imperative.