MOROCCO RULES! SOLAR WORLD LEADER

MOROCCO

Morocco is not the country most people think of when they think of progress. Most perceptions frame this North African country as somewhat frozen in time, or lagging behind by at least a few centuries.  But what most people don’t know is that Morocco is light-years ahead -- a progressive sovereignty that has a new quest: to be the world leader of solar energy.

The citizens of Morocco decided that they wanted to control their own energy resources and to free themselves from almost total dependency on imported fossil fuels. Given that the country typically enjoys more than 3,000 hours of sun every year, solar power makes perfect sense.

Solar is also an ideal energy option for Morocco because of its topography -- it has vast deserts, and big flat unobstructed open spaces away from population centers -- a perfect locale for solar energy farms.

Putting $9 billion where its mouth is, the government created the Moroccan Solar Energy Programme - called Noor, or “light,” in Arabic. It aims to develop 5 solar complexes with a combined capacity of approximately 2GW by 2020 to meet the energy demands of the country.

Masen manages renewable energy in Morocco. It leads development programs of integrated projects aimed at creating an additional 3,000 MW of clean electricity generation capacity by 2020 and a further 6,000 MW by 2030.The goal is to secure 52% of the country’s energy mix from renewable sources by 2030.

The first plant, Noor I, spans a stretch of sand about the size of the city of Paris. It is the largest solar energy plant in the world. Built by SENER, it is located just outside of the tiny desert town of Ouarzazate.

Noor uses Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), created with concave mirrors that directs the sun to a central tube, heating its contents to 750 degrees Fahrenheit, which is used to produce steam to power a turbine.

The mirrors move with the sun, like plants and trees do as they grow, to extract as much sunlight as possible.

Morocco’s solar energy vision was originally inspired by Desertec, an ambitious idea, conceived back in 2003, to harness solar power across the Sahara Desert to power all of Europe. Noor plant in Morocco, along with plant under development in Tunisia, are pilots of the Desertec idea.

The noble solar energy quest, fueled by brilliant technology developments, has made enormous strides. But as with most ambition, progress has not been without impediments and diversions. Desertec’s endeavors were impacted by the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, when terrorist attacks on gas facilities in Algeria forced them to scale back. Geopolitical instability continues to be a threat in North Africa and the Middle East.

Noor II spans an area of 680 hectares (1,680 acres) and is expected to supply 600 GWh per year. Construction started in February 2016 and was the plant was commissioned in January 2018.

Noor III will be a 150 MW (gross) CSP solar project spanning an area of 750 hectares (1,853 acres) and it is expected to supply 500 GWh per year. Noor IV will be an 80 MW Photovoltaic power station. Check out this video to see it in action.

Renewable energy continues to be the fastest growing segment of the energy space. And Morocco is now considered a leader.

Morocco also has great wind power potential due to high wind speeds across its 3,500-kilometre-long coastline, where it already has a number of wind farms capable of achieving their renewable energy goals, with some expansion.

In total, Morocco will invest $13 Billion in supplementing their renewable energy sector to reach their 2020 objective. They are committed to making big, beautiful progress for their own country and the world.

Check out more beautiful energy progress in The Art of Water Energy Now.

Read more about Beautiful Progress in Travel Bucket Places Ahead of the Rush, Climb Every Beautiful Mountain and  The Incredible Beauty of Progress.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Alex Lang. “Mirrors for a solar power plant.” Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex, Ain Beni Mathar. Oriental, Morocco.
2. Image: Noor 1. Courtesy of ACWA Power.
3. Image: Drone photo of Noor Solar Energy Plant. Morocco. Courtesy of Masen.
4. Image: by Dana Smillie, World Bank. “Rows of solar panel at a thermo-solar power plant.” Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex, Ain Beni Mathar. Morocco.
5. Image: by Philippe Roos. “Ain-Beni-Mathar.” Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex, Ain Beni Mathar. Morocco.
6. Image: by Pieter Edelman.
7. Image: Satellite view of Noor Solar Energy Plant. Morocco. Courtesy of NASA.
8. Image: by Michael Taylor, IRENA. “IRENA World Bank Noor III.” Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex, Ain Beni Mathar. Morocco.
9. Image: by TEDxTarfaya. “Tarfaya â das gröÃte Windkraftwerk Afrikas / Tarfaya - Africa's largest wind power plant.” Tarfaya Wind Farm, Morocco.
10. Image: by Philippe Roos. “Ain Beni Mathar.” Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex, Ain Beni Mathar. Morocco.
11. Image: by Paco Lopez. “Delfín disfrutando de la puesta de Sol.” Dolphin enjoying the sunset.
12. Image: by Sérgio E. Jr. “Windy curves Morocco - Tinfou dunes.”
13. Image: by Thomas Maluck. “Merzouga Warrior.”