The Vatican goes solar

[BCO]

Not only is Pope Benedict the first pope to comment on the "unbalanced use of energy" in the world, but now he's really pushing for green cred with the installation of a 2,400-panel solar PV array atop Nervi Hall.

The project cost $1.6 million and is expected to generate about 300 MWh per year. The energy will light, heat or cool Nervi Hall, an auditorium used when the pope speaks to general audiences. When the building is not in use, the energy will be fed into Vatican City's grid.

Good job, pope.

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2379/83/

 

[Paulr]

Nice going.

Hopefully this will inspire more people/companies/governments to start thinking in the same direction.

 

[ldmelsa]

2,400-panel = 300 MWh per year

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[BCO]

.

?

 

[Tux]

Darn... a hippie pope? What's this world coming to?

 

[.Froot.]

Wait... so you telling me that each panel only pumps out 4.3W? (Taking 8 hours of usable sunlight per day).... a decent sized residential panel can churn out ~300W per hour...

 

[BCO]

Wait... so you telling me that each panel only pumps out 4.3W? (Taking 8 hours of usable sunlight per day).... a decent sized residential panel can churn out ~300W per hour...

I calculated that each panel puts out 342Wh a day.

Bear in mind too that you need to take the insolation of the earth at the Vatican into account. You'll probably find that this figure is more like 4 hours of sunshine a day rather than 8.

 

[.Froot.]

300MWh per year-> 300x 1'000'000 py==2400 panels
300'000'000/2400/365=342Wh
Therefore each panel provides 342Wh per day... yes, correct. But assuming an 8-hour day, that would be 42.8W it generates per hour (sorry, I had a decimal issue) or if as you say, 4 hour day, then it would be 85.6W... which if I take the bit of knowledge I have on solar panels, is not exactly a big panel... but it would nevertheless cost around $100 per panel... and then the batteries and inverters and the solar units would still be required (resulting in a vast sum of money).

 

[BCO]

300MWh per year-> 300x 1'000'000 py==2400 panels
300'000'000/2400/365=342Wh
Therefore each panel provides 342Wh per day... yes, correct. But assuming an 8-hour day, that would be 42.8W it generates per hour (sorry, I had a decimal issue) or if as you say, 4 hour day, then it would be 85.6W... which if I take the bit of knowledge I have on solar panels, is not exactly a big panel... but [B]it would nevertheless cost around $100 per panel... and then the batteries and inverters and the solar units would still be required (resulting in a vast sum of money)[/B].[/QUOTE]

The whole project cost US$1.6 million.