Morocco's Economy
Noor Ouarzazate and Renewables
How Morocco built one of the world's largest concentrated solar power complexes at Noor Ouarzazate and plans to export green energy to Europe.
Morocco imports most of its energy but has lots of sun and wind.
Noor Ouarzazate
- A huge concentrated solar power complex in the desert, with phases opened from 2016.
- It uses mirrors to heat fluid, storing heat to generate power after sunset.
Wind
Wind farms along the Atlantic coast.
Targets
Morocco aims for a large share of renewables in its power capacity.
Export plans
Projects propose cables to send green power to the UK and Europe, and green hydrogen production.
Benefits
Less dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The mirror field
Thousands of curved mirrors near Ouarzazate focus sunlight to heat oil that drives turbines.
Thinking solar only works in daylight
Stored heat can generate power after sunset.
Key takeaways
- Morocco imports most of its energy.
- Noor Ouarzazate is a large CSP complex.
- Wind adds capacity.
- Green power exports are planned.
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