Page 5, 10th December 2010

10th December 2010

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Page 5, 10th December 2010 — Vatican ponders electric Popemobile
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Vatican ponders electric Popemobile

BY CAROL GLATZ IN VATICAN CITY
POPE BENEDICT XVI would welcome having an electric Popemobile as a further sign of his commitment to protecting natural resources and safeguarding the earth, a senior Vatican official has said.
Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican City State, said if a sponsor offered Pope Benedict an electric-powered vehicle that “was in working order, efficient and suitable, why not? It would be a sign of his environmental concern.” The cardinal and others spoke during a Vatican news conference to present a new book, The Energy of the Sun in the Vatican, about the Vatican’s solar power initiatives.
Through the generosity of the Bonn-based company SolarWorld the Vatican installed 2,400 solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI audience hall in 2008 and, in 2009, the Vatican set up several hitech solar collectors to help heat and cool its buildings.
Some 305 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, or CO2, have been avoided because of the Vatican’s solar installations according to a Vatican statement. Pier Carlo Cuscianna, director of technical services for Vatican City, said plans to supply Vatican City with a fleet of electric vehicles were in a “well-advanced” stage.
Milan Nitzscke, head of communication for SolarWorld, said it would be possible for the Popemobile to be powered with electricity even from its own solar panels.
Because the Popemobile is bulletproof, the car would be heavier than most electric vehi cles, “but it is possible and it would be a very good symbol” for promoting environmental awareness and concern, he said. An electric Popemobile is just an idea so far, he said, and “we have to discuss with [Vatican] security” to assure them that the car would be safe, secure and fast. The car must have “fast acceleration,” he said, adding that an electric car can go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds.
But a project that would use garden and organic waste to generate electricity is still in the study stage.




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