The Vatican wants to protect the Earth - Going Solar is now Christian/I think it's great what do you think?
Question:
Some Holy See buildings will start using solar energy, reflecting Pope Benedict XVI's concern about conserving the Earth's resources. The roof of the Paul VI auditorium will be redone next year, with its cement panels replaced with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity, engineer Pier Carlo Cuscianna said.
The 6,300-seat auditorium is used for the pontiff's general audiences on Wednesdays in winter and in bad weather during the rest of the year. Concerts in honor of pontiffs are also staged in the hall, with its sweeping stage.
The cells will produce enough electricity to illuminate, heat or cool the building.
"Since the auditorium isn't used every day, the (excess) energy will feed into the network providing (the Vatican) with power, so other Vatican offices can use the energy".
Answer:
I think it's fantastic that more people are waking up and realizing what kind of danger our earth is in if we don't start acting more responsibly. I only hope that more large institutions, and even governments, will recognize the potential in the Pope's actions and follow suit. Nothing bad can come of trying to conserve our natural resources.
I think it is good that all people want to make the world better for all the people & we do have limited resources whether the world is warming or not. Here it the rest of the article which I think give more good detail:
A feasibility study for the planned conversion, published recently in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, found it made economic sense. It quoted from Benedict's speeches defending the environment and noted that his predecessor, the late John Paul II, also championed the safeguarding of natural resources.
Cuscianna recalled a speech in which Benedict lamented "the unbalanced use of energy" in the world.
Last summer, Benedict called on Christians to unite to take "care of creation without squandering its resources and sharing them in a convivial manner." He said lifestyle choices were damaging the environment and making "the lives of poor people on Earth especially unbearable."
The modernistic hall, at the southern end of Vatican City, was built in 1969, designed by architect Pier Luigi Nervi.
The auditorium "was born half-ecological," Cuscianna said, noting that Nervi used cement panels on its 6,000-square-yard flattened vaulted roof in part to help keep pilgrims cool.
The new roof panels will be the same shape and almost the same color as the cement panels they are replacing, minimizing the aesthetic impact, Cuscianna said.
Weathering has deteriorated the condition of the cement panels, which needed replacement, so Cuscianna thought it was the right time to make the move to solar in Mediterranean Italy, which enjoys many sunny days.
The Vatican is considering the installation of photovoltaic cells on roofs of other Holy See buildings, although centuries-old landmarks like St. Peter's Basilica won't be touched.
Humans, not Christians... For the Earth... not for 'god'.
OK, it's good, but it's ill conceived and poorly executed. Do they realise that photovoltaic solar panel 1m x 1m doesn't provide enough energy in direct sunlight to power a kettle?
To have an area large enough i can tell you for a fact will have run into hundreds of thousands of pounds (it's about £1600 a square metre).
The cost of installing these solar panels is horrific (i can garuantee that it will take them over 300 years to pay back the electricity).
Now, if they had their heads on properly, a mini CHP (combined heat and power) system which burns biomass is some 97% efficient and can easily provide all the electric and hotwater a building needs. And it's a tenth the price.
Why didn't they do that?
Still, big oak trees from little acorns grow. We should congratulate them that they're doing something rather than nothing.
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