Rome:

One of Pompeii’s most famous villas has had terracotta-style solar roof tiles installed to shed light on ancient Roman mystical rituals. The traditional-looking tiles have solar photovoltaic cells embedded within them, allowing the UNESCO World Heritage site to maintain its beauty while generating clean energy to illuminate its murals.

Although the project is still in its early stages, experts say the tiles could one day help green historic city centers across Italy.

The tiles look “exactly like ancient (Roman) tiles found in archaeological sites and cities across the Mediterranean,” Pompeii director Gabriel Zuchtriegel told AFP.

But while “Pompei is a unique site because of its sheer size and complexity … I hope this will not be a unique project,” said Zuchtrigel, who hopes the site near Naples Become a “real-life sustainability laboratory”.

The plan combines emerging technologies with extraordinary frescoes unearthed in 1909 beneath deep volcanic ash at the Villa Mysticus, which was buried along with the rest of the city when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.

The mural depicts female devotees of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, performing mystical rituals.

They have intrigued scholars for decades, with some historians believing they prove that the villa’s mistress was a priestess whose slaves participated in cult rituals.

terracotta varnish

The fresco, which covers three walls and is one of the best-preserved in Pompeii, is illuminated by special LED lights designed to bring the deep red, purple and gold images to life without damaging the painted surface.

The lights are powered by electricity generated from solar panels installed in October.

Italian lighting company Ahlux patented the system in 2022 and produces curved and flat panels painted in terracotta tones.

The solar panels on the villa’s roof are flat and located between traditional ceramic curved tiles.

They cover 70 square meters (750 square feet) of the roof, generate a maximum power of 13 kilowatt hours and are connected to eco-friendly sodium batteries, project manager Alberto Bruni said.

He said Pompeii received more than 15 hours of sunlight a day during the peak summer period, so it was intended to expand its use to other villas at the archaeological site.

Ahlux founder Augusto Grillo said the tiles are about 5% less efficient than traditional solar panels.

“However, the nominal loss is made up for by the fact that our panels heat up less in the summer,” he said, while traditional panels are covered in glass, which can reduce efficiency on very hot days.

“The final performance was very similar,” he said.

red tile city

Grillo said institutions from Rome’s MAXXI Museum of Modern Art to Milan’s 17th-century Pinoteca Ambrosiana museum have expressed interest in the tiles.

“The problem is finding the funds,” he said, adding that many of Italy’s famous historic buildings are public or owned by Catholic institutions.

Grillo said the cost is somewhat higher than a new roof and traditional panels combined, although the solar tiles, which last between 20 and 25 years, serve a dual purpose in that they can also be used as roofs.

Project manager Bruni said the cost of the panels was “coming down”, meaning they might be able to play a role in a wider ecological transition.

Italy is under pressure to make red-roofed cities like Florence or Bologna greener as part of its efforts to combat climate change.

The EU aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, which will require upgrading existing buildings.

This is a huge challenge for Italy, where about 60% of buildings fall into the two worst energy categories, compared with 17% in France and 6% in Germany, according to Italian builders association ANCE.

Angelica Donati, president of youth builders association ANCE Giovani, told AFP: “Co-investment from some countries and even Europe is needed to ensure that the very, very ambitious timetable has a chance to be respected.”

“We have the most beautiful cities in the world, which means we need more thoughtful interventions, and fast. There’s still a lot of work to be done”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)