The Vatican's renewable energy achievement demonstrates how even the world's smallest nations can join countries running on renewable energy. Photo by Claudio Schwarz, Unsplash. The heart of this change is located at Santa Maria di Galeria, a former Vatican Radio site that has been transformed into a solar energy hub. One key stat: The Vatican's agrivoltaic plant spans over 1,000 acres, generating enough power to. . Vatican City is set to become the eighth country in the world to generate 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy after Pope Francis announced plans to build a solar plant. In an apostolic letter, the pontiff said the project will be constructed on Vatican-owned property outside of. . ROME (AP) — Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare (1,000-acre) field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm that the Holy See hopes will generate enough electricity to meet its needs and turn Vatican City into the world's first. .