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Vatican Powers Up With Massive Solar Farm
18 Sep
Summary
- Vatican plans a €100 million agrivoltaic plant for carbon neutrality.
- The facility will be on Vatican-owned land outside Rome, not within Vatican City.
- The project aims to supply electricity for Vatican buildings and a radio transmitter.
Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state, is initiating a major energy project with an investment of approximately €100 million ($117 million). This initiative involves developing an agrivoltaic plant designed to meet the Vatican's electricity needs and advance its goal of carbon neutrality. The facility will not be situated within the confines of Vatican City itself due to its limited size.
Instead, the solar generation project is planned for the Santa Maria di Galeria estate, a Vatican-owned property located outside Rome. This estate spans about 1,050 to 1,100 acres, significantly larger than Vatican City's 109 acres. The project, expected to yield between 80 and 90 megawatts, will power Vatican buildings and a radio transmitter.
This agrivoltaic system combines solar power generation with agricultural use, reflecting a broader climate program initiated by Pope Francis in his June 2024 letter, "Fratello Sole." Pope Leo XIV has continued this project, visiting the Santa Maria di Galeria site in June 2025. Italy approved the project in July 2025, and in June 2026, the Vatican formalized its partnership with Italian utility company ACEA for development.
Construction, slated to take 18 to 24 months, is a substantial expansion from the 2,394 solar panels installed on the Paul VI Audience Hall roof in 2008. The Vatican has pledged to cut emissions by 20% from 2011 levels by 2030 and reach zero emissions by 2050, with this renewable energy project being a key step.
