Pope Francis pushes green energy with new solar farm near Rome

Pope Francis demonstrates a more modern world approach than his predecessors. In a Wednesday letter, he announced that the Vatican would build an agrivoltaic installation near Rome, aiming to ultimately meet all of the Vatican's electricity needs.

The letter, titled "Fratello Sole" ("Brother Sun"), states that the project will start 11 miles north of Rome in Santa Maria di Galeria, where a Vatican Radio transmitter station is currently located.

The electricity generated by this installation should suffice to meet the needs of this 1.1-square-mile state.

Francis noted that he referenced the construction of a solar power plant in his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" ("Praise Be to You"), which focuses on ecological themes. In it, he called for a lifestyle change, a reduction in production, and decreased consumption to counteract global warming as much as possible.

The Pope is set to appoint extraordinary commissioners to inform Italian authorities about the developments in Santa Maria di Galeria.

Agrivoltaics is the practice of obtaining solar energy in combination with agriculture. This approach allows the land to be used for both a photovoltaic farm and crops under the panels.