Morocco's solar sector

Burgeoning solar power

With the solar industry getting more and more traction on the African continent, there is one country that has been receiving more acclaim than most - Morocco.

Earlier in the year, the US praised Morocco's solar efforts and the positive role the country was playing. It was also announced that Rabat would be one of several international cities and the first in its region to hold a major global Earth Day observance.

So why is Morocco leading the way in renewable energy?

The short answer is necessity. Unlike other countries in North Africa, Morocco doesn't have vast oil supplies and thus needs to power itself through other means - namely wind and solar power.

As such, Morocco has been a market leader in the region with the likes of Mustapha Bakkoury, head of the Moroccan Agency for solar energy, promoting his country's agenda around Europe in order to garner investment and stakeholders.

Ambitious plans

Last year, the country announced an ambitious solar power plan to generate 38 percent of the country's energy via solar power by 2020. The project is expected to cost $9 billion and will involve five solar power generation sites across the country producing 2000 MW.

At the time, Energy Minister Amina Benkhadra said: "This is a bold but realistic project. We will guarantee all the technical and financial resources to make it succeed.

"We look for the most sophisticated technology available in the world to use for this project," she said, but gave no date when the tenders would be launched for the solar scheme. It is understood that funding will come from a mixture of private and state capital.

However, this month has seen the country gain support from France, with the European power pledging to help support its 500 MW solar power plant project in Ouarzazate. The two countries signed 11 cooperation agreements worth €146.8 million at the 10th Moroccan-French high level meeting highlighting the civil nuclear energy, renewable energy, sustainable development, social welfare, fisheries, water, and transport sectors.

With such investment in the industry, the Desertec Initiative has also shown interest in attempting to win above-market prices for the potential energy transported from the Sahara desert CSP scheme, and will begin its push for feed-in tariffs (FITs) tackling Morocco first.

As such, it is clear that in North Africa, Morocco is leading the charge in self-sufficiency and belief in solar power.

Relevant articles:

Desertec: Powering Europe from the Sahara | Africa's wind power divide | President Wade's solar initiative

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