Morocco to inaugurate the 1st floating photovoltaic power plant in Africa

Morocco’s first floating photovoltaic power plant, and the first in Africa, will be operational in a few weeks near Sidi Slimane. In collaboration with the Spanish company ISIGNERE, the Moroccan company Energy Handle was in charge of constructing the infrastructure. The project took a year to complete.
The plant’s installed capacity in the first phase will be 360 kW. According to Energy Handle, the infrastructure would consist of 800 photovoltaic panels that will create roughly 644 MWh per year. According to the corporation, this new technique will save electricity.
“Floating photovoltaics is a great opportunity for national agriculture for a sustainable development of the sector and better competitiveness,” adds the founding director of Energy Handle, Hassan Nait Bella.
As a result, the Sidi Slimane power station will free up ground space that would otherwise be occupied by a solar power station under a traditional method. Solar panels positioned at water level will also be cooled in the summer, according to the company. During this time, the efficiency of solar panels will have increased by more than 15%.
Energy Handle had already completed several solar energy projects in Morocco, including providing solar energy to 490 rural schools. In addition, the company is working on a solar energy project for the Moroccan House of Representatives, which is now under development.