The Vatican has launched a project to build a large agrivoltaic plant, a system that combines solar energy production with agricultural use of the land, thanks to panels installed on structures elevated a few meters above the ground. The goal is for the small State to cover all its energy needs by itself. The installation will be built in Santa Maria di Galeria, a large property of the Holy See located about 40 kilometers northwest of Rome and with an area about ten times larger than that of Vatican City. For decades, the Vatican Radio transmission facilities have been located on this land.
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The project was promoted by Pope Francis, who made environmental protection one of the pillars of his magisterium and who in 2024 ordered the construction of the renewable energy plant with the apostolic letter Fratello Sole (Brother Sun), a document in which the pontiff, who passed away last year, reaffirmed his commitment to the energy transition and the use of renewable energies as a response to the climate crisis. One of the first steps to realize Francis’s commission, now assumed by Leo XIV, came in July 2025, when the Holy See and Italy signed an agreement to regulate both the construction of the plant and its connection to the Italian electrical grid.
The pact was necessary due to the particular legal status of Santa Maria di Galeria. Although the land is on Italian soil, it is part of the extraterritorial zones of the Holy See and therefore enjoys a special regime comparable in some aspects to that of diplomatic premises. Among other peculiarities, Italian authorities cannot access it without authorization, and the properties are protected against expropriations and certain Italian taxes.
The agreement extends the special regime already enjoyed by the Vatican Radio facilities to the future energy complex and provides exemptions from Italian taxes and public charges. However, the Vatican will not be able to benefit from the economic incentives that Italy grants to families and companies for installing solar energy. Italian law also establishes that the execution of the agreement cannot generate new costs for public coffers.
The scale of the installation is now becoming known in more detail. The project will cost around 100 million euros and have a capacity of between 80 and 90 megawatts, which would place it among the largest agrivoltaic plants in Italy, according to sources familiar with the negotiations cited by Reuters. The solar panels will cover about 200 hectares, almost half of the Santa Maria di Galeria estate, and construction could be completed within 18 to 24 months, including administrative procedures and obtaining permits, as the same source points out. The works are expected to be put out to tender in the coming weeks.
In addition to supplying Vatican City and the Vatican Radio facilities, which will allow the small state to achieve complete energy self-sufficiency, the electricity could be used in other centers linked to the Holy See, such as the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome. The surplus energy would be made available to Italy, Reuters states. The Vatican has not yet officially provided details of the project.
However, it will not be a conventional photovoltaic park. The project will be agrivoltaic, that is, a system that installs the panels several meters above the ground to allow the land to continue being used for agricultural and livestock activities. Additionally, the shade provided by the structures can help reduce water evaporation and protect crops from extreme weather events.
Leo XIV has so far shown special sensitivity to environmental issues and has continued several initiatives promoted by Francis in this area. On June 1, he created the Fratello Sole Foundation, expressly responsible for building, managing, and financing the renewable energy plant. In the founding document, the Pope defined the initiative as an example that it is possible to “combine energy production and agriculture while respecting the environment” and explicitly linked it to Francis’s ecological legacy, from the encyclical Laudato si, dedicated to caring for the planet and the so-called “common home,” to the exhortation Laudate Deum, focused on the urgency of combating the climate crisis.
A few days later, the Vatican institutions and the new foundation signed a collaboration protocol with the Italian energy company ACEA to advance the definition and execution of the plant. In early August, a joint commission between Italy and the Vatican also met to launch the project, although after the meeting neither the budget nor the capacity and expected timelines were made public.
The figures now known allow for the first time an idea of the scale of the operation. With between 80 and 90 megawatts of capacity and an investment close to 100 million euros, Santa Maria di Galeria would be among the largest agrivoltaic installations in Italy.
However, the Vatican has been advancing in the use of solar energy for years. In 2008, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, it installed 2,400 photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Paul VI Hall, where papal audiences are usually held. The Santa Maria di Galeria project now represents a leap in scale, with the goal that the small State can cover all its electrical needs through renewable sources.
Environmental protection and the responsible use of natural resources have gained increasing importance during recent pontificates.
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