The Church of England has launched a national environmental campaign: it is encouraging its parishes, dioceses and cathedrals to take stock of energy consumption with a view to improve on energy efficiency and, perhaps more radically, consider all possibilities to utilise rooftops for photovoltaic installations. The ultimate aim is carbon neutrality, a state of play whereby a net zero carbon footprint is achieved.
This means that the carbon emissions resulting from power consumption by a premises would be balanced or offset by at least the same amount of electricity produced by carbon emission free power generation installations such as photovoltaics.
In reality, carbon neutrality is a more complicated concept. The science is also about harnessing the possibility of vegetation, particularly trees, to act as sinks and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Measuring the exact amount of carbon that a typical tree can absorb through the process of photosynthesis requires a painstaking assessment of how the growth rate compares to this specific variable clearly taking into account the tree species concerned.
Properly managed afforestation is essential towards carbon neutrality; the scientific process is however far from complete and we need to know much more about the extent to which different plant species can absorb carbon dioxide per unit biomass to be in a position to assess what volume of vegetation would be needed for different offsets.
A recent article published in The Guardian said that more than 400 churches and vicarages in England already had solar panels installed on their rooftops paving the way to the first carbon neutral churches. More is to come.
But aesthetics and the prestige of authentic medieval architecture left untouched are certainly not easy to blend with the modern appearance of photovoltaic panelling installed on such places. Historic England – previously commonly known as English Heritage but actually the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England – has produced a ‘guidance note’ on photovoltaic installations on listed places of worship.
The guidance advises congregations to tackle the matter step by step, consulting carefully for any statutory obligations and the overall costings that any such project may entail but, above all, ensure that a proper ‘energy strategy’ is in place beforehand through which the energy efficiency of the building is substantially improved.
Historic England does not mince words about being sceptic on such projects, practically sending a signal that investments of this type should be considered as a last resort after all options to reduce carbon footprint are exhausted. Moreover, any project of the kind has to abide to strict criteria such that the integrity of the building is preserved.
The possibility of investments in solar energy islands in designated areas around Maltese shores remains, as yet, largely unexplored
As the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby rightly put it: “The present challenges of environment and economy, of human development and global poverty, can only be faced with Christ-liberated courage. Actions have to change for words to have effect.” Words of wisdom. But frankly, and shifting the argument onto the surfaces of Fort St Angelo in Vittoriosa or the metropolitan cathedral in Mdina, I would most probably find it too obtuse were I to discover that the powers that be would be prepared to offer these places on the altar of carbon neutrality.
From the cathedrals in England to the favelas in Brazil: the solar power potential of the world’s biggest equatorial nation has long been recognised by the authorities in Brazil. And yet, recent energy statistics reveal that solar accounts for a mere 0.02 per cent of the country’s energy, the bulk of which, about 70 per cent, derives from hydropower.
The damming of rivers to build hydroelectric dams often comes at huge environmental and social costs, with sensitive ecosystems being disrupted or destroyed and indigenous populations abruptly displaced and forced out of regions that were managed for generations.
The irony is that whereas the tourism industry in Brazil milks dry climatic characteristics and glorious sandy beaches basking in interminable days of sunshine, the solar power market has barely taken off.
It is not that bad however: a 10-year energy plan released in 2014 projects that Brazil’s energy mix should consist of at least 3.3 per cent solar by 2024.
Recent regulations have also been introduced and they are meant to facilitate the installation of photovoltaic panels by low-income families and private enterprise and this in spite of the Petrobras, the Brazilian oil giant that still calls the shots ultimately when it comes to the energy market.
All has to be placed in a proper perspective. Solar panel installation is not cheap and there are regular maintenance costs for such equipment to keep operating at its maximum potential. This applies not just in Brazil where the economy is still struggling with recession but anywhere else, even in Europe and beyond.
Unfortunately the noble intentions of well-meaning environmentalists often miss that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that everything comes at a cost – including the holy grail of net zero carbon. I had never heard about Santa Coloma de Gramenet in Spain. It is a suburb in Barcelona. With the global solar power market that has been expanding at an exponential rate over at least the last two decades, with Europe and China holding the lion’s share, Spain is a world leader with a cumulative capacity of more than 5000MWp installed across the country by end 2014.
I find it very unlikely that anyone is taking solar power more seriously than the residents of Santa Coloma de Gramenet who, in an unprecedented example of thinking outside the box and beyond the mortal, have installed solar panels on top of the graves of the municipal cemetery. So often blurred are the lines between the outrageous and the pragmatic.
Figures compiled by the regulator of energy and water services in Malta clearly manifest that like most other countries in Europe and elsewhere the installation of photovoltaics has been through an exponential growth curve in the last few years.
In part, this is attributed to various government incentives sustained through EU funding and a guaranteed feed-in tariff designed to encourage home owners and non-residential establishments to go for solar power.
It is obvious that Malta’s climatic conditions with long hours of insolation constitute our greatest asset to this effect.
The possibility of investments in solar energy islands in designated areas around Maltese shores remains, as yet, largely unexplored.
It is still to be seen whether the eventual adoption of a solar farms policy would also address this issue.
The reality is that the remarkable growth that Malta’s solar energy market is experiencing is still at odds with a classic textbook case of distortion in free market economics: that of a complete lack of synergy between the construction industry and the extent to which high-rise buildings should impinge on the right of owners to enjoy the benefits derived from solar equipment on their roofs.
The time is ripe to discuss solar rights and how their upholding could be distilled into a properly functioning national legislative framework.
Alan Pulis specialises in environmental management.