Ancient Pompeii site installs 'invisible' solar panels that look like Roman terracotta tiles
New invisible technology is being used to generate electricity at the archaeological site—and will also be used for other historic buildings in Italy, Portugal and Croatia.
Ancient Roman ruins at Pompeii have been fitted with invisible solar panels, in a move that will ensure the archaeological site’s sustainability and cut costs.
The innovative panels, which blend into the background by
The Art Newspaper
February 6, 2023
© Silvia Vacca
imitating traditional materials, were installed on the House of Cerere, on a thermopolium—a Roman snack bar—and on the House of the Vettii, which recently reopened following 20 years of restoration work.
“They look exactly like the terracotta tiles used by the Romans, but they produce the electricity that we need to light the frescoes," says Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the archaeological park of Pompeii, in a press release.
Related articles
The Art Newspaper
- An ancient Roman road may lie beneath Venice's lagoon researchers say (July 2021)
- Heading down the publicum (March 2016)
NewScientist
Apollo Magazine
- A History of Algeria in Seven Stops (May 2017)
History Today
- Migration in Roman Britain (April 2016)