VATICAN CITY: The Vatican has gone green with the activation of a new solar energy system to power several key buildings and a commitment to use renewable energy for 20 per cent of its needs by 2020.

Solar panels cover the roof of the Nervi Hall, seen from the terrace of St Peter's. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

The massive roof of the Vatican's Nervi Hall, where popes hold general audiences and concerts are performed, has been covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels.

The new system on the 5,000 sq m roof will provide for the year-round energy needs of the hall and several surrounding buildings, producing 300 kilowatt-hours of clean energy a year.

The system, devised by the German company SolarWorld, will allow the 44ha city-state to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by about 225 tonnes and save the equivalent of 80 tonnes of oil each year.

The hall has a sweeping, wavy roof which made the project feasible and the solar panels virtually invisible from the ground. Church officials have said that the Vatican's famous skyline, particularly St Peter's Basilica, would remain untouched.

An editorial in the Holy See's newspaper on Tuesday appealed for greater use of renewable energy.

By producing its own energy, the Vatican, surrounded by Rome, will become more autonomous from Italy, from where it currently buys all its energy. Both Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II put the Vatican firmly on an environmentalist footing.

REUTERS