Key facts
- Solar panels resembling ancient Roman tiles are installed at Pompeii's Villa of the Mysteries.
- These panels provide electricity for the villa.
- Évora, Portugal, uses semi-transparent PV shingles on its City Hall.
- The POCITYF project supports Évora's sustainability and heritage preservation goals.
- A resin tile containing photovoltaic cells has been developed by Dyaqua.
Solar panels are being integrated into historic sites like Pompeii and Évora, Portugal, in ways that preserve their architectural integrity. In Pompeii, panels designed to look like ancient Roman tiles are installed on the Villa of the Mysteries, generating electricity for the site. Évora is utilizing semi-transparent photovoltaic shingles on its City Hall, a technology developed by the Italian company Dyaqua, which embeds solar cells within a resin compound.
These initiatives are part of the European project POCITYF, aimed at helping historic cities like Évora balance heritage preservation with decarbonization goals. Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is exploring various solutions, including glass roofs with integrated panels and solar canopies, to achieve sustainability without compromising its historical character. The success of these technologies in such delicate environments suggests their potential for wider application.
The Dyaqua tile is constructed with a resin base, followed by soldered photovoltaic cells, and then sealed with another resin layer. This approach allows for energy generation while maintaining the aesthetic of traditional roofing materials. The project in Évora, along with similar efforts in Alkmaar, Netherlands, is evaluating these innovations for potential replication across Europe.