Let there be light: Monaco’s Saint-Nicolas Church to run on solar

Monaco's Saint-Nicolas Church to run on solar
Government of Monaco

As part of the Prince’s Government’s energy transition policy, the Public Buildings Maintenance Service is installing solar panels on the roof of the Saint-Nicolas Church in Fontvieille.

The Prince’s Government is standing by its commitment to going carbon neutral by 2050, installing 72 panels on the roof of the church in Fontvieille. They will produce 19 MWh of electricity, fed directly into the Church’s electrical system.

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Thanks to this production, the Church will be 100% electrically self-sufficient, and the surplus production will be fed into the electrical installations of the Fontvieille Post Office premises. Furthermore, it will make it possible to reduce the Principality’s CO2 emissions by 1.55 tonnes per year.

Monaco’s transition to renewable energy 

The Prince’s Government and the Monegasque Society of Electricity and Gas (SMEG) joined forces to create Monaco Renewable Energies (MER) at the end of 2017. By the end of 2030, they hope to have reduced their CO2 emissions by 50%.

Next steps in the Principality’s energy transition in 2020 will include installing solar panels on Fontvieille School, the Villa Paloma Museum, the Sacré-Cœur Church, the Foyer de l’Enfance and the Villa Florestine, the new premises of the Labour Department.

As well as being the first “green” church in Monaco, St. Nicholas’s Church will also be the first energy self-sufficient site.